QUESTIONS FOR PERU

The United States has sent a delegation to Peru to investigate the April 20
shooting down of a missionary plane which killed Veronica Bowers and her
daughter Charity. One would hope the delegation accurately and honestly
assesses how vigorously a CIA plane in the area intervened to try to
prevent a Peruvian air force jet from shooting at the plane, before having
identified it.

But equally important was the insight of Veronica's husband and Charity's
father, Jim Bowers. At the burial on Sunday, Mr. Bowers said he believed
God had intended for the shooting to occur. Indeed, there are many lessons
that can be learned from the tragic deaths of the Bowers. The war on drugs
pits good versus evil. But the counter-narcotics struggle has also created
a nebulous area that is very difficult to define or negotiate. Nothing
better exemplifies that dangerous gray area than the fatal shooting of a
missionary plane in Peru.

The Peruvian military officials responsible for the deaths of Veronica and
Charity form part of the ranks of this gray area. Just what caused them to
believe a small unidentified Cessna should have been brutally shot upon
before it was identified or even asked to descend? Their motivations are
unknown, but what remains indisputable is that the Peruvian jet fighter
violated the agreed-upon procedures before using lethal force and received
clearance to do so.

It seems unlikely, therefore, that the shooting was, as President George W.
Bush described it, an "isolated incident." The sad truth is that in Latin
America, the war on drugs often claims the lives of innocents. Although
counter-narcotics efforts help free countries from the brutal grip of
merciless drug lords, many Latin Americans view these efforts with
ambivalence because of the haphazard rules of engagement that prevail.

U.S. counter-narcotics officials often try to teach their Latin American
counterparts procedures that help protect innocent civilians. But U.S.
collaboration with police and military forces that don't share their
concern for civilian lives has marred America's image in the region. This
undermines U.S. interests, and bolsters anti-American demagogues, such as
Hugo Chavez, the president of Venezuela.

This does not mean, however, that the United States should withdraw from
the war on drugs in Latin America. It is primarily America's drug habit
that is causing so many of these problems. So the United States must help
other countries contain drug production and its consequences. It must also
levy a creative and proactive effort to control this destructive demand for
narcotics.

Many observers have chalked up the deaths of Veronica Bowers and her baby
to the drug lords' brutality and the war they force us to pursue.This is
only half the story. The good guys must continue to fight by the rules. And
minimum standards that safeguard the public's safety must be respected. If
not, the consequences are painfully tragic.