U.S. CHARGES PARAMILITARY COMMANDER

Drugs: The Indictment Breaks New Ground In Relations Between The U.S. And
Colombia.

BOGOTA, Colombia -- The United States announced the indictment of the
leader of Colombia's feared paramilitary army on drug charges Tuesday,
the first time such a high-ranking figure in the outlaw group has
faced the possibility of U.S. justice.

Atty. Gen. John Ashcroft said the U.S. would seek the extradition of
Carlos Castano and two other leaders of the right-wing paramilitary
group for allegedly transporting nearly 15 tons of cocaine into the
United States since 1997.

Castano and the paramilitary forces are violent drug traffickers who
"threaten our national security," Ashcroft told a news conference in
Washington.

The announcement, coming during a visit to Washington by newly elected
Colombian President Alvaro Uribe, increases pressure on Colombian
authorities to act against Castano.

The Colombian government has long been accused of working closely with
Castano, whose group is responsible for massacring hundreds of
civilians. The two share a common enemy in Colombia's leftist
guerrilla groups, who want to overthrow the government and replace it
with a Marxist regime.

The cooperation between the Colombian government and Castano's group
has become the chief obstacle to closer relations between the U.S. and
Colombia. Democratic lawmakers have insisted that Bogota take concrete
steps against Castano's group before receiving more military or
counter-narcotics aid. The U.S. has supplied Colombia with nearly $2
billion in aid over the last several years.

Castano faces more than 90 charges in Colombia, ranging from torture
to murder. Colombian authorities have never managed to capture
Castano, although he frequently gives media interviews and has had
contact with top Colombian political and religious figures.

Colombian officials said they will carefully study the extradition
request but made it clear they would send Castano to the U.S. if
captured. The Colombian government "must verify that the formal
requirements are completed," said Fernando Londono, the justice and
interior minister.

Human rights groups welcomed the move, saying the U.S. was belatedly
sending a clear message to Colombians to capture Castano.

"It's a good step, but it doesn't solve the problem," said Robin Kirk,
a Colombia expert for Human Rights Watch. "The problem is that the
military continues to work with the paramilitaries."

Kirk also said that if Castano is brought to the U.S., human rights
groups would immediately seek to have him face torture charges, which
can be prosecuted in U.S. courts because of a judicial treaty.

Rumors swirled Tuesday that Castano was preparing to turn himself in.
He has made vague offers in the past to surrender to U.S. authorities
if indicted.

Local media broadcast a letter Castano supposedly wrote to U.S.
Ambassador Anne W. Patterson on Tuesday offering to hand himself over
to prove his innocence. Embassy officials denied receiving such a letter.

Castano's lawyer said he had not communicated with his client since
the announcement was made but doubted that Castano will be on his way
to the United States any time soon.

"I don't think that Carlos has made up his mind one way or the other,"
said Joaquin Perez, a Miami-based criminal law attorney.

Castano has long admitted that his group relies at least partly on the
drug trade to finance operations for an army estimated at 10,000
fighters. Recently, however, the group has split over just how
involved it should be in narcotics, leading to concerns about a
breakup into numerous smaller, private armies.

In a summit with paramilitary leaders held at a secret location this
month, Castano reportedly demanded that the fighters restrict their
activities to charging "taxes" on the production of cocaine, giving up
protection of drug production and the transport of cocaine.

Colombia is the source of 90% of the cocaine on U.S. streets and most
of the heroin available on the East Coast.

"We must abandon drugs, or we will all drown in them," Castano
reportedly said after the end of the summit.

But Tuesday's announcement laid out a case alleging that Castano,
Salvatore Mancuso and Juan Carlos Sierra were deeply involved in drug
trafficking. Mancuso is the group's military leader, and Sierra
allegedly was in charge of coordinating its drug shipments.

The indictment alleges that Castano and Mancuso personally stationed
fighters to guard cocaine labs in Colombia; met with farmers growing
coca, the base for cocaine; fixed prices in drug-growing zones they
controlled; and provided the cocaine for numerous shipments to the
U.S.

Perez defended his client's innocence and said Castano believes that
drugs have corrupted Colombia's society.