STRONG STEPS IN COLOMBIA

A Positive First Year For Uribe

''We didn't come here to complain,'' Colombian President Alvaro Uribe
declared in his inaugural address one year ago today, ''We came here
to work.'' In the ensuing 12 months, he has more than lived up to that
promise, moving forcefully to confront narcoterrorists, general
lawlessness, a limping economy and a dispirited society. The results
so far are encouraging. For the first time in years, Colombia's 45
million people have a realistic hope that someday soon they will be
able to reclaim their besieged country.

Mr. Uribe, who has escaped several assassination attempts, was greeted
at the very moment of his inauguration in Bogota by a murderous mortar
barrage from terrorists that killed 21 people. Far from being
intimidated, the new president insisted that the military take the
initiative, pushing them to move into areas formerly controlled by the
leftist FARC guerrillas and directing a vigorous effort to eradicate
cocaine. As a result, the area controlled by nongovernment forces is
shrinking. Coca cultivation is down by about 15 percent, according to
Gen. James Hill, head of the U.S. military's Southern Command, and
1,700 guerrilla fighters have deserted.

According to statistics compiled by the government, the murder rate is
down by 20 percent, terrorist attacks in Bogota are down by nearly
half and kidnappings are down as well. Mr. Uribe has flooded the
highways with soldiers and police so that drivers can take to the road
knowing that they won't be robbed or kidnapped. The military has moved
into areas like the slums of Medellin, an area long off-limits to
government forces, to help restore Bogota's authority.

When he has stumbled, as during a botched rescue operation in May that
claimed the hostages' lives, Mr. Uribe hasn't hesitated to accept
responsibility. He has been criticized for neglecting human rights,
but it's worth remembering that violence has affected Colombia for
decades. The acid test will come when the Congress passes a set of
Uribe-promoted laws giving the military quasi-judicial powers to
conduct wiretaps and arrests without court order.

The proposed laws are a temptation to abuse government authority. Mr.
Uribe can get through this with honor if he keeps in mind that,
ultimately, the conflict is about integrity, decency and a commitment
to democracy. That's why, under Mr. Uribe's leadership, the people of
Colombia are ahead. With the continuing help and assistance of the
United States, we feel confident they will stay ahead.