COLOMBIA IS CAUTIONED ON SEEKING BEIJING'S AID

WASHINGTON - Secretary of State Colin Powell had words of caution Tuesday
for war-plagued Colombia, saying President Andres Pastrana should tread
carefully as Bogota turns to China for help in solving his nation's
intractable problems.

At a State Department news conference, Powell responded to a question about
a column in Tuesday's St. Petersburg Times that said Colombia was courting
China as it sought contributions to help fight the multibillion-dollar drug
trade.

Two weeks ago, Pastrana's chief of staff, Eduardo Pizano, traveled to
Beijing and asked China for help in developing agriculture programs in
northeastern Colombia.

Asked if Bogota's invitation for a Chinese role in Colombia concerned him,
in light of China's presence in neighboring Panama, Powell said no.

Although he was unaware of Pizano's trip to China, he added, "I don't know
why it would trouble me, especially if the Chinese have something to
contribute."

During a joint news conference with Robin Cook, the British foreign
secretary, Powell said, "President Pastrana is free to seek advice where he
finds it more useful."

But, the secretary of state cautioned, "One always has to be careful that
you're getting the advice you sought and nothing more, and I'm sure he will
be careful."

The Colombian Embassy in Washington had no comment.

Since the United States turned the Panama Canal over to Panama in December
1999, some members of Congress have raised concerns about Chinese
intentions in Latin America. A Hong Kong company with close ties to
Beijing, Hutchison Whampoa, already operates ports at either end of the
Panama Canal.

Noting that the "Chinese presence in the Panama Canal has been written
about and spoken of," Powell said, "I have not found that the so-called
presence in the form of shipping companies and the like have created any
danger, to the Panamanian people, the Panamanian government, or to the
canal itself.

"Our interests are served," he said.

"So without knowing any more about it, I don't see a thing that should
cause me any great distress."

Pizano revealed his trip to Beijing during a conference last week in Miami
on Plan Colombia, a $ 7.5-billion, world-funded program designed to help
Colombia fight the drug war.

Washington has contributed $ 1.3-billion toward Plan Colombia, mostly in
military aid. Colombia has said it will need additional American aid.

The drug trade in Colombia helps fuel a decades-old civil war, pitting
Marxist rebels against right-wing death squads and a largely ineffective army.