U.S. could "recertify" Colombia before year end

BOGOTA, April 2 (Reuter) The United States could conditionally
``recertify'' Colombia as an ally in the drug war this year, U.S. ambassador
Myles Frechette said on 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 this Andean nation ``certification with a
national interest waiver,'' halfway between full approval and blacklisting.

The envoy also said he would begin consultations with President Bill
Clinton and the U.S. Congress next week in a bid to free up 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 has also been demanding that Colombia lift its 1991 ban on
extraditing Colombians to stand trial abroad a stance which 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 organised crime.''

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

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