U.S. WEIGHING EXPANDED ROLE IN COLOMBIA

Envoys Assessing Drug War Progress

Bogota, Colombia --- A high-level U.S. delegation arrived in Colombia on
Wednesday to try to steer a course for the Bush administration in a nation
whose drug trade is fueling Latin America's longest-running civil war.

The U.S. group --- including Undersecretary of State Marc Grossman and Gen.
Peter Pace, commander of U.S. military forces in the region --- is arriving
amid rising anger among Colombians at leftist guerrillas, increasing
support for the military and calls for President Andres Pastrana to take a
tougher stance in peace talks.

Moments before the Americans touched down, a U.N. peace envoy appealed for
dialogue instead of what he called growing sentiment in favor of a military
solution to the 37-year conflict.

"Those who criticize the search for peace should carefully consider the
alternative," the U.N. diplomat, Jan Egeland of Norway, told a press
conference in the capital, Bogota. "You cannot shoot your way to
reconciliation."

Recent criticism from the U.S. State Department about rebel activities in a
safe haven Pastrana granted the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or
FARC, has prompted speculation that the Bush administration is considering
widening its assistance to help the Colombian army battle FARC directly.

Currently, U.S. aid supports a controversial aerial eradication program
against coca and poppy plantations. The guerrillas and a rival right-wing
paramilitary militia tax the drug crops to fund their operations.

Many Colombians welcome the aid from Washington. But about 70 protesters
gathered Wednesday outside the fortresslike U.S. Embassy, where they
unfurled a huge Colombian flag and chanted slogans against Pastrana's
U.S.-backed drug-fighting strategy.

The U.S. delegation today is scheduled to tour military bases where U.S.
Special Forces have trained Colombian army units and where aerial drug
eradication operations are based. The visit also will help set up a trip to
Colombia by Secretary of State Colin Powell on Sept. 11-12.