MORE MONEY SOUGHT FOR DRUG WAR

WASHINGTON - White House anti-drug chief Barry McCaffrey, citing
an "explosion" of cocaine production in Colombia, wants Congress to
add $1 billion to current drug war outlays of $256 million, a
government official said Friday.

In a letter to Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, McCaffrey asked
for her support to enhance air interdiction and field operations in
southern Colombia. He said CIA estimates show sharp increases in both
cocaine production and opium cultivation.

Without acknowledging the $1 billion price tag, McCaffrey told a news
conference, "I think the support we have given Colombia today is
inadequate to deal with the enormous internal threats they are facing."

Joining him was Colombia's new defense minister, Luis Fernando
Ramirez, and his chief of staff, Fernando Tapias.

"I will try in accordance with the president's leadership to begin a
dialogue among my Cabinet colleagues and with the Congress," McCaffrey
said, declaring the situation in Colombia an "emergency".

Apparently seeing the situation differently, the Senate recently cut
$80 million from the initial administration request of $295 million.
McCaffrey called that a "bad signal".

His aim is not only to increase the funding but also the
approach.

"It can't be narrowly focused on helicopters; it has to be more
universal," McCaffrey said. He wants more support for Colombia's
judiciary and for providing alternatives to coca for Colombian
farmers. Coca is the raw material for cocaine.

A discussion paper released by McCaffrey's office said the lack of a
Colombian government presence in southern Colombia prevents effective
counterdrug eradication, alternative development and interdiction
operations. It recommends $360 million to help meet these needs. An
additional $200 million would be used to upgrade customs sensor
systems and other anti-drug technologies. A further $130 million is
recommended to enhance air interdiction.

Some 80 percent of the cocaine and 60 percent of the heroine used in
the United States originates in or is transported through Colombia,
McCaffrey said. He plans to visit Colombia on July 25.

Colombia's main guerrilla movement, known as by its Spanish initials
as the FARC, is believed to earn tens of millions of dollars annually
through its support for drug kingpins.