U.S. DRUG CHIEF HAILS COLOMBIAN OFFENSIVE

Mexico City --- Colombian President Andres Pastrana's decision
Wednesday night to begin an assault on a Marxist rebel safe zone
could strike hard at that nation's cocaine industry, according to Asa
Hutchinson, chief of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.

Hutchinson made his comments Thursday during a two-day visit with law
enforcement officials in Mexico. More than 70 percent of the cocaine
smuggled into the United States passes through Mexico. Colombia is
the largest producer of cocaine.

On Wednesday night, the Colombian president called off peace talks
with a rebel group, began air strikes and sent troops to the edge of
the safe haven he had ceded to the rebels three years ago.

Hutchinson called the rebels --- the Revolutionary Armed Forces of
Colombia --- "narco-terrorists" because they profit from Colombia's
cocaine trade.

He said a government invasion of the rebel zone is "clearly a benefit."

"If the military and the police enter the demilitarized zones, you're
going to have cocaine conversion labs there . . . and we're going to
gain intelligence information," Hutchinson said. "It's going to
strengthen what we're trying to do in reducing that supply of cocaine
that is funding that organization, as well as other violent groups."

Hutchinson said he talked with officials about U.S. concern that
Mexico still has not extradited several trafficking suspects indicted
in U.S. courts.

Although President Vicente Fox's government largely supports the
concept of extradition, Mexico's Supreme Court ruled that Mexicans
could not be extradited if they might face life imprisonment.

"When the Supreme Court indicates that before extradition can take
place we have to waive life imprisonment, that is a serious problem.
. . . These are very violent criminals," Hutchinson said.