COLOMBIA HAS NOT STIFLED VIOLENT PARAMILITARY GROUPS

While Colombian President Alvaro Uribe was in Washington, the Bush
administration touted success against drug traffickers and illegal
armed groups in that country.

Left out of the picture were reports by the State Department and the
United Nations. The U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights indicated
that the it ''continued receiving, in growing numbers, complaints of
violations with direct responsibility of public servants, and in
particular the Security Forces.'' The State Department confirmed the
continued links between the U.S.-funded Colombian military and the
U.S.- designated terrorist paramilitary groups.

Little progress has been made in breaking Colombian military links to
paramilitary terrorist organizations despite the $3 billion that the
United States already has given. Uribe is asking it to continue
providing similar levels of aid through 2009. U.S. policymakers must
demand more-concrete results before they commit billions more taxpayer
dollars to Colombia's military.

Jess Hunter

U.S. Office on Colombia, Washington, D.C.