U.S. MAY EXPAND AID TO COLOMBIA

Policy: Powell's Remarks Come As Congress Signals Support For A Wider Role.

WASHINGTON -- Secretary of State Colin L. Powell said Wednesday that the
Bush administration might ask Congress to lift long-standing restrictions
that limit U.S. military aid in Colombia to the fight against narcotics.

Powell's remarks, a shift from the administration's previous statements,
came as Congress also showed signs of changing its view and favoring more
extensive involvement in the violence-racked Andean nation.

Appearing before a House subcommittee, Powell said that the Colombian
government's decision in February to break off peace talks with rebel
groups had changed the situation and that the administration wants to do
more to help its ally amid an intensifying civil war. "We will have to
readjust our policies, take a hard look at what we're doing and see if
there are not other ways we can help Colombia protect itself, short of the
United States armed forces going in to do it," Powell said.

"It may be necessary for us to give the government of Colombia assistance
that is outside the counter-narcotics [activity] in order that they are
able to deal with this threat to their survival as a nation," he added.

For weeks, the Bush administration has been in the midst of an internal
debate over whether to widen its role in the three-sided war that pits a
weak Colombian army and growing right-wing paramilitary forces against two
large leftist groups.

The reappraisal has come during a period of escalating violence. The rebels
have kidnapped national political figures, hijacked an airplane and bombed
important utility installations.

Some American officials have argued for increased assistance to help the
Colombian government combat what they view as a terrorist threat that
endangers the United States. Some have called for declaring the destruction
of the rebel groups an explicit goal of U.S. policy.

But others, fearing that the four-decade war could become a Vietnam-style
quagmire for the U.S., have argued for a more cautious approach. State
Department officials have, until now, lined up on the side of a more
limited role.

Just last month, Powell spoke with caution about the U.S. commitment. He
said American officials wanted to spend additional money to help protect a
large Colombian oil pipeline, but intended this to be done through a
"passive," or defensive, approach.

And President Bush told reporters last week that the administration did not
intend to move beyond the policy that strictly limited U.S. military aid to
counter-narcotics activities.

"We are providing advice to the Colombian government as to drug
eradication, and we will keep it that way. The law is very clear," Bush
said at the time.

But on Wednesday, the House of Representatives passed by voice vote a
nonbinding resolution inviting Bush to seek broader aid for Colombia.

"It is time to help the Colombian people help themselves," said Rep. Henry
J. Hyde (R-Ill.), chairman of the House International Relations Committee
and a longtime supporter of greater aid to the South American nation.

Some longtime critics of U.S. aid to Colombia also have indicated that
their view of the war may be changing.

Sen. Patrick J. Leahy (D-Vt.) has said that he has an open mind about
broader U.S. military involvement in Colombia, although he believes that
the administration should continue to require that the Colombian government
do all it can to uphold human rights.

The U.S. has provided Colombia with about 75 helicopters as part of its aid
package. This year, the administration has proposed spending nearly $600
million for counter-narcotics training and $98 million to teach a new
Colombian army brigade to protect the oil pipeline.

However, the Pentagon has been limited to providing no more than 400
military personnel to train the Colombian army and is barred from sending
U.S. troops into combat.