MONEY FOR COLOMBIA

Last August, the U.S. Senate's majority leader, Trent Lott, and House
Speaker Dennis Hastert wrote President Bill Clinton about Colombia's
drug-fueled civil wars. "Now is the time," they declared grandly, "to
develop a comprehensive plan to respond to this emergency." They added that
the creation of "a narco-state south of our border would be an extremely
serious threat to our national security."

Three months later, a comprehensive plan has duly been developed.

Thomas Pickering, a top State Department official, visited Colombia to
press the idea, and President Andres Pastrana came up with a blueprint in
September. Mr. Pastrana then met Mr. Clinton in New York to explain it; he
came to Washington and reported to Congress. Both Mr. Clinton and the
congressional leadership praised Colombia's new policy, which was hardly
surprising since it was also theirs.

Barry McCaffrey, Mr. Clinton's drug czar, declared that Colombia deserved
$1 billion or more in aid. Senator Paul Coverdell, Republican of Georgia,
drafted a bill offering Colombia and its neighbors $1.5 billion.

In the current budget negotiations, however, no one seems to be looking for
money for Colombia. This threatens a peace process that has recently shown
faint promise.

Last month an unprecedented 10 million people -- a quarter of Colombia's
population -demonstrated in favor of peace.

On the same day, the government reopened negotiations with the bigger of
the country's two insurgencies; it has since had contact with the smaller
one. President Pastrana is committed to ending the abuses that fueled the
insurgencies.

This momentum should not be squandered. Colombia may not deserve billions
in aid, but the United States cannot walk away from the very peace process
it has fostered.

Making peace requires money.

Peasants who plant coca have to be induced to switch to other crops;
refugees have to be helped lest they join the insurgency. And, as the
congressional leaders wisely said themselves, a collapsing narco-state just
hours from America's borders does not serve the national interest.