Political violence in Colombia appears to be worsening, as your Dec.
17 editorial, "Colombia crumbles," notes. But efforts to achieve
control are not fortified by The Washington Times, which appears more
determined to prod a reckless involvement in that dirty war than
understand its complexities and advise wise action.

Human Rights Watch fully supports efforts to find a just peace in
Colombia, even if those efforts include establishing a neutral area
where negotiations can take place. What we oppose is ceding total
control to a force known for executing civilians and captured members
of the security forces, kidnapping and the recruitment of children as
soldiers, among other things.

We criticized the Colombian government's decision to extend the
December deadline, as your editorial noted. But we added, as your
editorial did not, a crucial caveat: Such an area can be used for this
purpose, but only if the human rights of the people living within are
guaranteed. President Andres Pastrana's mistake was not to hold talks
with guerrillas, but to fail to ensure the human rights of Colombians
who live in the area designated for talks.

Unfortunately, Mr. Pastrana makes the same mistake in areas controlled
by paramilitaries, which commit their atrocities with the tolerance
and, at times, open support of the military. Most civilians in
Colombia live under the threat of violence. Which side it comes from
is more a matter of luck and location than anything else.

The United States undermines democracy when it ignores the failure of
allies such as Colombia to protect basic rights. What the incoming
Bush administration must do is both simple and challenging: strengthen
civil society, not the rule of the gun; promote human rights
standards, not an abusive military; and solve America's addiction to
illegal narcotics at home, not by throwing more billions at the failed
strategy of stopping the supply.

Robin Kirk,
Researcher, Human Rights Watch,
Washington