ESCALATING A WAR

During his quick stopover in Colombia Wednesday, President Clinton wasted
no time in steering attention away from the intended purpose of his visit.

There were plenty of photo opportunities of the president strolling the
cobbled streets of Cartagena, being entertained by dancers and touring a
neighborhood legal aid center.

These images belied the true reason for this trip: to hand over a $1.3
billion check for U.S. military and social aid to help battle leftist
rebels and drug traffickers.

They also camouflaged the volatility of this troubled country. Clinton and
his entourage were kept far from any areas of guerilla fighting and stayed
a mere eight hours because of security concerns.

It's true that $238 million of the U.S. aid is intended for economic
development programs, encouraging substitution planting for drug crops,
fostering judicial reform and stepping up programs to prevent human rights
violations.

But the remaining $1 billion or so will be used to train and equip the
Colombian military and police to do battle with drug traffickers and
guerrillas. This amounts to four times more assistance than the Clinton
administration has yet offered to Colombia and more than any U.S.
government has turned over to South American countries since the 1980s.

Let's make no mistake about this. The U.S. is stepping up the war on drugs.

The president's contention that "A condition of this aid is that we are not
going to get into a shooting war . . ." rings hollow. The aid package
includes 60 military helicopters and 500 U.S. Army and intelligence
instructors.

These helicopters are only to be used for anti-drug efforts, unless, that
is, they are fired upon by guerrillas. It's unlikely that the guerrillas
are going to consider the distinction.

The hopes of this campaign are many. Colombia is a country that produces an
estimated 90 percent of the cocaine that enters the United States. It also
is a country that has been rocked with high unemployment and widespread
corruption.

At best this aid, which Congress approved in June and is part of an overall
$7.5-billion Colombian plan, will cripple the guerrillas' power, constrict
the passage of drugs into the United States and provide governmental and
economic stability in Colombia and the region.

But the risks are great. Critics of the aid program fear the package will
escalate violence in the country leading to renewed flights of refugees to
such neighboring countries as Brazil and Ecuador.

Legitimate concerns also remain about the government's track record
concerning human rights.

Sen. Joseph Biden, D-Delaware, part of a bipartisan Congressional
delegation that accompanied the president on the trip, justifiably warned
President Andres Pastrana that continued Congressional support is dependent
on the government showing a high standard for human rights.

During his visit, Colombian officials had planned to have President Clinton
tour a facility where military personnel would be trained by U.S. advisers
in how to wipe out coca crops and hit guerrilla targets.

The president instead opted for a tour of something less controversial.

Considering the severity of the campaign that's about to get under way,
Americans would have benefited from a closer and more honest look at where
their money is going.