BUSH PRAISES COLOMBIA'S DRUG WAR

But Analysts Say Violence, Trafficking 'As Strong As Ever'

CRAWFORD, Texas - President Bush on Thursday lauded Colombia's efforts to
fight drug cartels and armed guerrillas, though some observers said the
Latin American ally has a long way to go.

Welcoming President Alvaro Uribe to his ranch in Crawford, Mr. Bush said
the U.S. anti-drug initiative known as Plan Colombia "is producing results"
that include lower levels of crime.

"Our two nations are working together to fight drug trafficking and
terrorism," Mr. Bush said after the meeting, "and to promote security,
democracy and the rule of law throughout the Americas."

Mr. Uribe, considered Mr. Bush's best friend in Latin America, largely for
his vocal support of the Iraq war, thanked the U.S. for its help, including
more than $4 billion in aid since 2000.

"Colombia faces a threat from terrorism, funded by drug trafficking," Mr.
Uribe said. "This is a threat that can affect the entire neighborhood, that
can affect our entire continent."

Colombia remains locked in a four-decade war with left-wing guerrillas
seeking to topple the government. The government is also trying to
dismantle right-wing paramilitary groups that are battling the leftists.
The fighters on both the left and right are backed by the various drug
cartels. And all the armed organizations, including government security
forces, have been accused of human rights abuses.

"The problems are profound," said John Walsh, a senior associate with the
Washington Office on Latin America, which analyzes the impact of foreign
policy on human rights. "The war rages on. And the drug trafficking - and
the extent to which it funds armed groups - is as strong as ever."

Mr. Uribe is seeking to eliminate the rightist paramilitary groups through
an amnesty program called Justice and Peace. But that initiative has been
criticized as going easy on people suspected of drug running and murder.

In a recent report, Human Rights Watch stated that, "while a genuine
demobilization of paramilitaries is obviously an important objective, the
process as currently structured is unlikely to achieve its aims. To the
contrary, it is likely to compound the country's problems."

Mr. Bush did not mention the Justice and Peace plan during his remarks but
said that Colombia is interested in protecting human rights. Before Mr.
Uribe's visit, the State Department announced that Colombia is meeting the
human rights standards necessary to continue receiving full funding of U.S.
aid programs.

The two leaders seemed to get on well. Mr. Bush spoke Spanish to the
Colombian press corps and later took his counterpart for a spin around the
ranch in a presidential pickup. Asked if he had a driver's license, Mr.
Bush replied: "Si."

As the two presidents met, analysts said there is little evidence of a
slowdown in Colombian cartel production of cocaine and heroin.

A recent report by the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy
said that, despite a major aerial spraying campaign, there were more acres
of coca production at the end of 2004 than the year before.

Some analysts also pointed out that the American market maintains the
Colombian cartels that finance the Colombian wars.

"Anybody who says drug consumption in the United States is a victimless
crime hasn't been to Colombia," said Victor Hinojosa, who teaches
international politics at Baylor University. "The only law drug traffickers
don't break is the law of supply and demand."