GENERAL BARRY MCCAFFREY DISCUSSES A PROPOSAL BY THE CLINTON ADMINISTRATION
TO GIVE $1 1/4 BILLION TO COLOMBIA TO HELP FIGHT THE WAR ON DRUGS

ANCHORS: BRYANT GUMBEL

BRYANT GUMBEL, co-host: The Clinton administration has proposed sending $ 1
1/4 billion in emergency aid to Colombia in order to help officials there
fight the drug war. General Barry McCaffrey is the administration's drug
czar. He's in Lausanne, Switzerland, this morning. General, good morning.

General BARRY McCAFFREY (Retired, White House Office of Drug Control
Policy): Good morning, Bryant.

GUMBEL: These funds, are they primarily aimed at helping officials there
fight the drug war, or are they also aimed at propping up a reeling
Colombian government?

Gen. McCAFFREY: Well, of course, the focus, Bryant, is to try and stay long
term and coherent in support of not only Colombia, but also Peru and
Bolivia. Both those nations have made dramatic reductions in cocaine
production. The money for Colombia, we hope, will first help the peace
process. It'll secondly help the eco--the economy, alternative economic
development. It'll help their judicial system, and finally it'll help the
police and the armed forces. We're gonna have to stand behind a country
where 80 percent of the drugs that come into our nation either originate in
Colombia or pass through it.

GUMBEL: I understand that, but le--let me focus on Colombia for a second. I
mean, given the fact that there is very little that separates Colombia's
drug constituency from its rebel efforts, is it realistic to think we can
fund one without playing a role in the other?

Gen. McCAFFREY: Well, half the country of Colombia is under the control of
25,000 FARC, ELN and paramilitary forces, heavily armed, fueled by money
out of cocaine and heroin. It is quite correct that the southern two
provinces of Colombia have four FARC guerrilla fronts in them that are
essentially part of this drug production empire. So when the Colombian
police and the Colombian armed forces try and reinstitute law and order and
democratic control in that part of the country, they will conduct
operations against the FARC and the ELN.

GUMBEL: But--but, I mean, those of us with bad memories of US involvement
in Nicaragua and El Salvador have some concerns here. I mean, how do you
propose to assure the American public that US assistance is being used only
in those areas where we're talking anti-drug efforts and not anti-rebel
efforts?

Gen. McCAFFREY: Yeah. Well, there's no question that the--the entire focus
of this program is to support President Pastrana's planned Colombia, which
is to confront this illegal drug empire, which benefits the FARC, the ELN,
the paramilitary forces.

Now I also gotta remind all of us, look, we're doing this for US national
interests. Drugs kill 52,000 Americans a year, and cocaine production in
Colombia has skyrocketed. It's doubled in the last three years. They're now
producing six metric tons of heroin a year. So when we focus on--on
Colombia, they're an ally, an important political partner, but we're also
trying to protect our own children and our own communities.

GUMBEL: General, we understand that, but you've gotta--you do understand,
I'm sure, that red flags go up whenever we talk about US assistance in--in
another country's domestic problems. As I understand it, and correct me if
I'm wrong please, this plan would call for regional drug interdiction
efforts into other countries. Is that correct?

Gen. McCAFFREY: Well, the only US involvement--the--the--the only people
are gonna operate in Colombia are Colombian police, armed forces,
prosecutors and judges.

GUMBEL: But I understan--I understand that, General, but how do you not
involve the US when it's US funds that are making those interdiction
efforts possible?

Gen. McCAFFREY: Yeah. Well, of course, we will be very heavily involved in
air interdiction, intelligence collection, training and equipment
deriv--delivery. We're gonna help train their judges, their police
officers, their navy, their coast guard. There will be US involvement, but
the actual operational employment of force inside these sovereign nations
is up to these nations' own forces.

GUMBEL: The proposal calls for, I understand, $ 400 million in Blackhawk
helicopters. Would we have to provide support personnel, training
personnel, military personnel, any kind of personnel that could be involved
in combat?

Gen. McCAFFREY: Well, the--the quick answer is no. There's--on a day-to-day
basis there's probably a couple hundred military people in Colombia right
now. There are trainers, intelligence operatives we are supporting with
DEA, Customs, Coast Guard, US armed forces intelligence collection. But,
again, the job of confronting these criminal empires is the--solely the
prerogative of Colombian authorities. The mobility of 30 Blackhawks and 33
advance model Huey helicopters will give Colombian police the chance to
reintervene and establish law and order in their own nation.

GUMBEL: OK. General Barry McCaffrey, I thank you very much. I'm sure this
isn't the last you and I will talk about this. I appreciate your taking the
time to be with us.

Gen. McCAFFREY: Indeed, Bryant.