ALBRIGHT VISIT, AID HIGHLIGHT STRONGER TIES WITH COLOMBIA

Cartagena, Colombia -- Just Two Years Ago, It Would Have Been Unthinkable
For A
U.s. Official Of Madeleine Albright's Stature To Visit War-torn Colombia
Because Of The Acrimonious Relationship Between Washington And BogotE1.

But This Weekend, In A Testament To The Growing Ties Between The Two
Countries Since A New Administration Took Office In Colombia In 1998, The
Secretary Of State Came Here For A 22-hour Visit. The Trip Was Intended To
Highlight The Clinton Administration's Commitment To A Country Of 41
Million People Ravaged By The Drug Trade And A Leftist Guerrilla War -- And
By An Economy In Shambles.

Specifically, Albright Was In Cartagena, A Beach Resort On The Caribbean,
To Discuss A Controversial $1.3 Billion Emergency Aid Package President
Clinton Unveiled Last Week To Help Colombia Fight The Drug War.

The Plan Requires Congressional Approval And Is Certain To Meet Resistance,
Largely Because The Money Would Be Handed Over Unconditionally.

The Biggest Single Aid Item Is $400 Million To Buy 30 U.s. Black Hawk
Helicopters, Which Are Equipped With Weapons But Are Mostly Used To Ferry
Troops And Equipment.

Although The Aid Package Is Being Touted As Reinforcement Against The Drug
War,
Washington Has Become Increasingly Concerned About Colombia's Ability To
Fight The Rebels, A Force Of 15,000 That Controls Half Of The Nation's
Territory.

In The Past Couple Of Years, The Clinton Administration Has Tripled
Military Aid To Colombia. U.s. Officials Have Expressed Concern About The
War Spilling Over Into Oil-rich Venezuela, A Major Supplier Of Oil To The
United States, And About The Security Of The Panama Canal In Neighboring
Panama.

But Critics In Colombia And The United States Assert That Washington Again
Is Becoming Entangled In Yet Another War In Latin America. They Insist That
BogotE1 Could Divert The Funds From The Drug War To Go After The Rebels
That
Threaten Colombia, Latin America's Oldest Democracy.

A Rebel Spokesman, Raul Reyes, Said The Proposed U.s. Aid Package
Threatened Fledgling Peace Talks Between The Government And Guerrillas. He
Insisted That The Aid Package Actually Would Help Fuel The War.

Saturday, In Some Of The Heaviest Fighting In Six Months, 50 Colombian
Soldiers, Police Officers And Guerrillas Were Killed Along A Major Highway
Through Mountains Just East Of BogotE1, Authorities Said. The Highway, The
Only Route To The Eastern Plains Region, The Capital's Breadbasket, Was
Blocked To Traffic, And The Battle Continued Saturday Night, Police Said.

Meanwhile, Gen. Fernando Tapias, Commander Of Colombia's Armed Forces, Told
Reporters Saturday, After Remarks By Albright At A News Conference, That
While The Money Was Intended To Be Used In The Drug War, It Also Would Be
Used Against The Rebels If They Participated In Drug Trafficking.

``A Lot Of These Groups Say They Are Not Involved In The Drug Trade, And If
That Is The Case, They Have Nothing To Worry About,'' Tapias Said.

Clinton Administration Officials, Including Barry Mccaffrey, Director Of
The U.s. Drug Policy Office, Have Acknowledged That It Is Difficult To
Differentiate Between The Drug Traffickers And The Rebels Because The
Latter Are Heavily Involved In The Drug Trade.

U.s. Officials Have Said The Rebels Earn As Much As $600 Million A Year
Protecting Coca Fields And By Helping To Oversee The Production Of Cocaine.

Saturday, However, With Colombian President AndrE9S Pastrana At Her Side,
Albright Told Reporters That U.s. Aid Was Intended To Help Colombia Combat
The Drug Trade. Pastrana Said The Drug Trade Helped Support The Rebels.

Albright Then Flew To Panama And Met Briefly Saturday With President Mireya
Moscoso A Month After President Clinton And Albright Miffed Panamanian
Officials By Declining Invitations To A Ceremony To Mark The U.s. Hand-over
Of The Panama Canal. U.s. Officials Said That During The Five-hour Visit
She And Moscoso Were Expected To Talk About A Number Of Canal Issues,
Including The Future Security Of The Waterway.

Afterward, Albright Flew To Mexico, Where She Will Meet Mexican Foreign
Secretary Rosario Green In The Southern Mexican City Of Oaxaca Today. The
Mexican Foreign Relations Ministry Said The Two Would Discuss Economics,
Trade, Cooperation On Immigration, Protecting Migrant Workers In The United
States And The Fight Against Drugs.