COLOMBIA MAY RESUME ANTIDRUG FLIGHTS

ASHINGTON -- The United States and Colombia are close to resuming
US-backed drug interdiction flights by the Colombia military under a
recommendation that Secretary of State Colin Powell has made to
President Bush, US officials said yesterday.

The flights, part of the US effort to stem the flow of illegal drugs
from South America, were suspended in 2001 after the Peruvian military
mistakenly shot down a small aircraft over Peru. Veronica Bowers, an
American missionary, and her daughter, Charity, were killed in the
incident. At the time, the Peruvian military was operating under a
similar program with US assistance.

After lengthy negotiations with Colombia, Powell late Monday
recommended that Bush authorize resuming the flights over Colombia
under what one official called a ''very specific, very clear
checklist'' of procedures designed to prevent a recurrence of the
fatal 2001 incident. The official said a decision by Bush was expected
quickly.

State Department spokesman Philip Reeker did not confirm that Powell
had made the recommendation, but he made clear that the administration
strongly supported a resumption of the interdiction flights under the
Air Bridge Denial program.

In Crawford, Texas, where Bush in vacationing on his ranch, White
House spokesman Sean McCormack said the White House is ''in the final
stages of review and evaluation'' of the air interdiction program.
''The president's overriding concern is to support our allies in
Colombia to address the threat to their national security posed by
illegal drug trafficking while ensuring that procedures are in place
to protect innocent life.''

Luis Alberto Moreno, Colombia's ambassador to the United States, said
in a telephone interview that some air crews have already been trained
and that the interdiction flights should resume shortly after Bush
issues a directive authorizing them.