CLINTON TO TRAVEL TO COLOMBIA TO SHOW SUPPORT FOR DRUG WAR

WASHINGTON -- President Clinton will travel to Colombia on Aug. 30 to show
solidarity with President Andres Pastrana in his efforts to defeat
narcotics traffickers and end the country's 36-year civil war.

The administration has strongly supported Colombia's counternarcotics
effort, persuading Congress to approve $1.3 billion in assistance last
month. The funding is being used mostly to equip and train Colombian
military units assigned to anti-drug duty.

It will be Clinton's first trip to Colombia. He will fly to the port city
of Cartagena for his meetings with Pastrana, returning to Washington the
same day.

A U.S. official, asking not to be identified, said an overnight stay was
ruled out for security reasons.

The visit mirrors a trip former President George Bush made in February,
1990 when, highlighting his administration's anti-drug campaign, he spent
four hours in Cartagena.

Bush was joined there by Colombia's president and leaders from other Andean
countries.

Clinton said in a statement that it is "profoundly in the interest of the
United States" for Colombia to succeed in its efforts to seek peace, fight
illicit drugs, build its economy and protect democracy.

The U.S. assistance package is earmarked solely to aid in counterdrug
efforts, but some lawmakers are concerned that the United States might get
bogged down in the war the Colombian army has been waging against two
leftist guerrilla groups.