U.S. SAYS PERU ANTI-DRUG IMAGE UNHARMED BY ARREST

LIMA, - The U.S. ambassador in Lima said on Tuesday
the arrest of the Peruvian army's second-in-command in connection with
a cocaine investigation would not harm Peru's image as a model
anti-drug nation.

Gen. Tomas Marky, the highest-ranking soldier ever held during a
narcotics probe in this major drug-smuggling country, was detained
earlier this month following allegations he may have stolen $1
million in a 1995 cocaine bust.

U.S. Ambassador Dennis Jett told reporters: "A single incident cannot
damage Peru's image, which ... is very good due to the success Peru
has had in the fight against drug-trafficking."

The United States has called Peru -- the world's largest supplier of
coca leaf, the raw material for cocaine -- a model drug-fighting
nation that deploys the military as one of its main weapons against
smugglers.

While coca leaf production in Peru has dropped in recent years, local
drug trade experts criticise Lima and Washington for exaggerating
this success, arguing there is ample evidence cocaine smuggling still
flourishes.

Previous drugs-related arrests involving the military, including a
1996 case when cocaine was found aboard a presidential plane, have
been of middle-ranking or junior officers.

In the latest incident, Marky has denied the allegations, first made
three years ago by Lt. Omar Zegarra while he was under the general's
command in a dangerous Andean region rife with guerrillas and
traffickers.

President Alberto Fujimori has said he believes the general is
innocent.

Since 1995 Marky has climbed swiftly through the army ranks, becoming
head of the key region around the second city of Arequipa before his
January appointment as the army's second-in-command.

Why Marky has been detained now, three years after the initial
accusations, is unclear.

Zegarra claims Marky supervised an army drugs bust and captured a
small plane piloted by Colombians, who handed over suitcases that one
trafficker said contained $1 million.