INSIDE REPORT Robert D. Novak

War on Drugs
Tangled Up in
Political Thicket

REPRESENTATIVE Benjamin Gilman, RNew York, the mildmannered chairman of
the House International Relations Committee, had had enough last week. He
blocked shipment to Mexico of 30 Huey helicopters President Clinton had
hoped to show off on his trip south of the border on May 6 as evidence of
how vigorously the war against drugs is being fought.

Gilman's complaint: Twelve of these Vietnamera excess choppers that were
promised to Colombia eight months ago have been tied up by State Department
technicalities. Accordingly, on April 24, he wrote to Defense Secretary
William Cohen asserting that until "I can get assurance" that more Hueys to
Mexico will not further delay Hueys to "the honest and courageous Colombian
National Police, I must ask that you hold any further deliveries to Mexico
until I hear back via a written response to my inquiry."

Although no such response has been received at this writing, diplomatic
tergiversation flourished this week. But the end result confirms that Bill
Clinton's war on drugs is phony. As Colombia becomes the world's heroin
capital and arrogant narcoguerrillas hold six kidnapped Americans there,
aid to Colombia's National Police is clogged while support flows smoothly
for Mexico's pitiful antidrug efforts.

The answer to this anomaly is found in State Department strategy charted by
Assistant Secretary Robert Gelbard. The integrity and courage of Colombia's
drug fighters are less important in Foggy Bottom than the vendetta against
President Ernesto Samper for receiving 1994 campaign funds from the
narcotics cartel. The corruption and incompetence of the Mexican potice are
less important than the need fo~firm U.S.Mexican relations.
Thus, Clinton defied rationality two months ago by continuing certification
of Mexico as cooperating in the drug war and continuing decertification of
Colombia. But decertification was no reason to block the Hueys.

Last September, sworn testimony by administration officials promised the 12
choppers. On February 21, the president signed the necessary executive
order. Yet, Gilman noted, "for some inexplicable reason, these helicopters
have yet to be delivered to Colombia while the Defense Department faces
pressure to start moving Hueys to Mexico instead."

Pentagon sources say they have been besieged by telegrams from U.S.
Ambassador Myles Frechette in Bogota demanding "enduse" compliance for the
helicopters to make sure they will not be antithetical to human rights.

Actually, six Hueys sent to Colombia January 31 at Representative Gilman's
insistence despite months of State Department footdragging began their
career with a spectacular raid against a narcoticsmanufacturing complex
producing 40 to 50 tons of cocaine monthly. Colombia now supplies 80
percent of the world's cocaine and 60 percent of its heroin.

FBI sources confirm what the State Department will not admit: The
narcoguerrillas, who have killed three captured Americans, now have six
more hostages. These hostages are held by FARC leftist guerrillas, and this
situation runs against State Department dogma that there no longer remains
a national U.S. interest in fighting guerrilla wars.

This week, the Pentagon received word from Ambassador Frechette that, oops,
a mistake was made: Since the Hueys are going to the national police rather
than the army, there is really no need for stringent enduse requirements.
So, perhaps the eightmonth delay on the choppers to Colombia may soon end
in order to avoid embarrassment for President Clinton on his Mexican visit.
But that's not fighting a real war on drugs.