U.S. MILITARY AID WON'T BRING PEACE TO COLOMBIA

The Sun's editorial praising Colombian President Andres Pastrana's Plan
Colombia and the $1.3 billion U.S. aid package that helps fund it was based
on a leap of faith with no landing in sight ("Flying down to Cartagena,"
Aug. 30).

Not once did it mention the extent of the Colombian military's corruption,
and it only perfunctorily referred to the violence of the nation's armed
forces.

It also trivialized the role of the army's brutal collaborators, the
right-wing paramilitary forces of the United Self Defense Groups of
Colombia, which the country's president maintains are together responsible
for 80 percent of the country's political killings.

After admirably listing many of the ingredients of Colombia's present
miasma, the editorial limply concluded that the status quo is better than
nothing.

In fact, U.S. aid will not bring this war-torn nation peace, but is certain
to escalate the violence that daily plagues its people.

Although the editorial alluded to President Clinton waiving the human rights
standards for Colombia, it didn't explain that if he hadn't, U.S. aid
legally could have gone to only one military unit considered "clean" enough
to qualify for such assistance.

The Sun's editorial suggested that "from a human rights standpoint" it would
be worse to withhold the aid, but provided no evidence for this exotic
notion.

And while the editorial noted that 80 percent of U.S. aid is for the
military, it all but trivialized Colombia's desperate economic straits,
which feature a 20 percent unemployment rate and a 50 percent poverty rate.

The issue here is the White House's single-minded quest to reduce the
domestic drug supply at any cost, even if it means greatly magnifying
Colombia's increasingly bloody internal conflict.

Providing more sophisticated (and more lethal) equipment to abusive military
units can only exacerbate violence and injustice, while bringing no peace.