COLOMBIA PRESIDENT SEES CEASE - FIRE

NEW YORK (AP) -- Vowing to give Colombia a second chance at peace, President
Andres Pastrana said Wednesday he's optimistic about sealing a cease-fire
deal with leftist rebels who have all but paralyzed the South American
nation.

In an interview with The Associated Press, Pastrana said that in the next
two weeks the government will meet with leaders of the Revolutionary Armed
Forces of Colombia, or FARC, the country's largest guerrilla insurgency.

Refusing to divulge when a cease-fire deal could happen, or what either side
was bringing to the negotiating table, Pastrana would only say that he
thought FARC leader Manuel Marulanda was serious about ending a drug war
that has crippled the economy.

Under the banner ``Plan Colombia,'' Pastrana hopes to squash drug
traffickers and bring justice back to the country -- goals that the United
States says it will help accomplish by contributing $1.3 billion in aid.
Neither American nor any other foreign troops, however, will take part in
combat.

``I think that he (Marulanda) is willing to go forward with peace, but
people are expecting fast results in a process that is very difficult,''
Pastrana said in an interview at his hotel shortly after his address at the
U.N. Millennium Summit.

``Of course, I'm optimistic that negotiations will advance. Can you imagine
what it would be like if I was a pessimist?''

FARC attacks have continued despite talks that Pastrana began in January
1999. Just last week, a surge of rebel violence left 35 people dead,
including seven police officers slain by guerrillas.

He said some progress had been made with the rebels in discussions about
lessening the impact of the drug war. In the end, coca farmers and the
guerrillas who make money by protecting them will lose their incomes.

Pastrana also said his fight was not just against violence and drugs, but to
make sure the poor benefitted from the spoils of globalization.

``Only a portion of our plan to stop these narcotraffickers is about
military action,'' he said. ``The other part of the plan is developing
alternative crops and finding a way to strengthen human rights in our
country.''