COLOMBIA COULD COME OFF U.S. BLACKLIST, ENVOY SAYS;
MAY WIN CONDITIONAL OK AS DRUG WAR ALLY by Reuters.
Copyright (c) 1997, Chicago Tribune Company

The United States could conditionally "recertify" Colombia
as an ally in the drug war this year, U.S. Ambassador
Myles Frechette said Wednesday, just a month after
Washington blacklisted the country. "Colombia could be
moved up a grade before the end of the year if certain
things that we are currently discussing are carried out,"
Frechette told reporters after an official event at the
presidential palace.

If Washington decides Colombia has made progress in the
fight against drug trafficking, it could grant the Andean
nation "certification with a national interest waiver,"
halfway between full approval and blacklisting.

The envoy also said he would begin consultations with
President Clinton and Congress next week in a bid to free
extra military aid for Colombia, currently blocked under
the terms of the U.S. certification.

Colombia was decertified by the United States for the
second consecutive year at the end of February. In addition
to condemning Colombia as an international drug pariah, the
decision means hefty cuts in U.S. economic aid, although
counternarcotics aid is not affected.

Frechette declined to say what measures he was
discussing with President Ernesto Samper's administration.
Last year, the Colombian Congress passed laws on tougher
jail terms for drugrelated crimes in the face of intense
U.S. pressure. But Washington also has been demanding that
Colombia lift its 1991 ban on extraditing Colombians to
stand trial abroada stance that has generated acute
tensions with senior Colombian government ministers and a
grassroots antiAmerican backlash.

Frechette sought to play down those tensions Wednesday,
saying: "Forget the U.S. position. Extradition is something
that is essential for international cooperation against
organized crime."

Despite Colombia's decertification, the United States
has pledged more than $80 million in counternarcotics aid
with a multimilliondollar package of material aid,
including cropdusting planes and helicopters.

Figures were not available on how much Washington may
grant Colombia in additional military aid if Congress
approves the proposal.