U.S. LAWMAKER BACKS USE OF HERBICIDE ON DRUG CROP

He Says Reports Of Its Ill Effects Are 'Unfounded'

BOGOTA, Colombia - A U.S. lawmaker defended the use of a herbicide being used
to kill drug crops in Colombia, calling criticism that it causes
environmental damage and illness unfounded.

Rep. Jim Kolbe said Saturday that he uses the herbicide glyphosate --
marketed in the United States as Roundup -- to kill weeds that grow outside
his vacation cabin back home.

"I think the fears about this are unfounded," said the Arizona Republican,
who is heading a four-person congressional delegation that arrived Friday
for a three-day visit. "It's impossible to eradicate the coca in the very
distance reaches of Colombia without using this aerial spraying."

Sen. Paul Wellstone, D-Minn., also arrived Friday on a separate two-day
visit. Wellstone is one of the few senators to oppose the $1.3 billion U.S.
aid plan to help Colombia fight its drug war. Wellstone has said that
peasant farmers will continue growing coca as long as few jobs exist in a
country where unemployment hovers at 20 percent.

Crop dusters protected by U.S.-donated combat helicopters have eradicated
thousands of acres of coca, the main ingredient of cocaine, since
fumigations began last December.

Reports have surfaced that the sprayings are causing ailments like skin
rashes and respiratory problems. Environmentalists say fragile ecosystems
are being hurt.

The U.S. State Department has said there are no harmful effects from the
herbicide. U.S. Ambassador Anne Patterson decided recently to dispatch a
medical team to investigate complaints.

The $1.3 billion aid package includes troop training and dozens of combat
helicopters. Critics say the aid package is bent too heavily toward
military help and should include more money for social programs.

But at a press conference late Saturday, Kolbe said the military backing is
essential in order to curb the country's narcotics industry. Most of the
cocaine and a growing portion of heroin consumed in the U.S. come from
Colombia.