COLOMBIAN GOVERNORS DECRY COCA HERBICIES

Four regional governors from Colombia, on a visit to Washington, have
sharply criticised an American-backed aerial offensive to eradicate
thousands of hectares of illegal coca and poppy plantations.

At a news conference, the governors called for a different approach in the
fight against the illegal drugs trade, saying that the herbicides currently
being used were harmful to public health and the environment.

They said spraying merely displaced thousands of coca growers to other
areas and contributed to the country's internal conflict. The US has
defended the use of defoliants in tackling drug production in Colombia,
which is the world's leading supplier of cocaine.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service