MCCAFFREY SEES TOUGH FIGHT IN DRUG WAR

Bogota, Colombia - White House drug czar Barry McCaffrey on Monday
predicted heavy fighting in an approaching U.S.-backed anti-drug
offensive and warned that there would be repercussions for Colombia's
neighbors.

But with "vital" U.S. interests at stake, and insurgents growing
stronger through deepening ties to the drug trade, McCaffrey said he
saw no alternative to the $1.3 billion effort set to get under way in
January.

"Colombia has no option. Your survival is at stake, and those of us
who are friends of Colombia must stand with you," McCaffrey told a
news conference Monday as he started a two-day visit accompanied by
Undersecretary of State Thomas R. Pickering.

Last week, Colombia's largest leftist insurgency declared a freeze on
peace talks that have been President Andres Pastrana's main strategy
for ending a 36-year conflict.