U.S. UPGRADES COLOMBIA'S DRUG WAR RATING

WASHINGTON, - The United States on Friday gave the Colombian government a
higher rating for
cooperation in the war on drugs, rewarding the new government of
President Andres Pastrana for its national drug control strategy.

"We are impressed by the new government's commitment to
counternarcotics cooperation," the State Department said in its annual
report on the major countries where drugs are produced or trafficked,
detailing what governments are doing to put an end to the illicit trade.

Colombia remains the world's leading producer and distributor of
cocaine, planting more than 250,000 acres (100,000 hectares) with coca
plants. It is also a major source of heroin and marijuana.

In 1998 the Clinton administration took Colombia off its list of
countries "decertified" for failing to fight drugs and ineligible for
most kinds of U.S. aid.

But it scraped through last year only under a "national interest"
waiver, on the grounds that this would encourage future anti-drug
efforts after President Ernesto Samper handed over the presidency to
Pastrana in August.

This year U.S. President Bill Clinton has moved it up to the list of
countries certified on their own merits, for cooperating fully with
the United States on drugs or taking adequate steps on their own.

The State Department report said a combined U.S. and Colombian
eradication programme had its best year ever in 1998, successfully
spraying more than 162,000 acres (65,000 hectares) of coca, about 50
percent more than in 1997.

"The Antinarcotics Directorate of the Colombian National Police has
continued its excellent record of investigations and operations
against narcotrafficking operations," it added.

"We anticipate that effective cooperation to control the flow of
narcotics will continue at all levels as the Pastrana administration
takes charge and integrates counterdrug programmes with its peace
initiative," it said.

The peace initiative, launched in August through dialogue with the
rebel Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), is a crucial
element in the drugs war because of the close connections between the
rebels and the cocaine trade.

"In the long term, a successful peace process could potentially break
the linkage between the guerrilla groups and the narcotics
traffickers, enabling the Colombian police and military to more
effectively carry out their counternarcotics programmes," the report
said.

The U.S. government had set seven criteria for the upgrade to full
"certification" for Colombia and the report suggested that the
Colombian government had passed on most counts.

But it did fall down on a requirement that it spend more money in the
war against the drug trade.

"Although manifesting the best of intentions, the GOC (Colombian
government) has been unable to increase its counternarcotics resource
commitment. The Colombian national budget faces its worst crisis in
decades," it explained.

It said that corruption in all branches of the Colombian government
continues to undermine the war on drugs but the new administration has
made eliminating corruption a priority.

The annual review is deeply resented by many of the countries under
scrutiny, who argue that the process does little to stem the voracious
demand for drugs in the United States, where drugs consumption is the
highest in the world.

"Decertified" countries can receive U.S. aid only for anti-drug
operations and the United States tries to stop multilateral
institutions lending them money.