US OFFICIAL SUPPORTS DRUG MEETING

WASHINGTON -- Colombian President Andres Pastrana's call for an
international narcotics conference is worth pursuing, a State Department
official said Friday.

"The idea of better cooperation and better coordination is a very good
idea," said William Brownfield, deputy assistant secretary for Western
Hemisphere affairs.

Brownfield spoke with reporters ahead of Secretary of State Colin Powell's
visit to Peru and Colombia next week.

On Thursday, Pastrana said the global drug fight has produced few victories
and he called on the United States to organize a narcotics conference.

Brownfield said it is "a matter of common sense" that global drug fighting
efforts have not been successful.

But Brownfield rejected suggestions that the early results have been
discouraging from last year's $1.3 billion Colombian drug package.

"It is not only going well, but probably going better than we would have
expected it to be going at this time," he said.

In nine months, more than 61,000 acres of coca, the raw material for
cocaine, have been fumigated, 35,000 peasant farmers have agreed to stop
growing coca and more than 200 laboratories have been destroyed, he said.

The U.S.-financed anti-drug efforts in Colombia have been criticized both
in Colombia and the United States. Peasant farmers claim the spraying has
damaged their health and destroyed food crops. U.S officials deny this.

American opponents object to U.S. assistance for Colombia's military, which
has been linked to human rights abuses. They also question whether any
foreign drug programs can be effective while U.S. demand for cocaine
remains high.

Besides discussing drug interdiction, Powell will also talk to Colombian
officials about negotiations to end the country's war with leftist
guerrillas. Brownfield said the United States supports the peace process,
but believes rebel violence is undermining its chances of success.

Powell will likely also stress human rights, he said.

Powell's trip comes shortly before he is to testify in Congress in support
of the Bush administration's proposal for another $882 million in
additional aid for Colombia and its neighbors.

In Peru, Powell will attend a foreign ministers' meeting to approve a
democratic charter for the Organization of American States. The charter
spells out standards for democracy for the 34 active member nations. It
also outlines steps to deal with members that stray from those standards.
Those steps range from friendly advice to suspension from the organization.

Roger Noriega, the U.S. ambassador to the OAS, said the proposed charter
"flatly asserts that the peoples of the Americas have the right to democracy."

Powell will also meet with Peruvian President Alejandro Toledo and discuss
that country's democratic advancements after the 10-year government of
Alberto Fujimori collapsed in a corruption scandal.