Colombia -

U.S. GIVES $27 MILLION, NOTING FEWER ABUSES

WASHINGTON -- The Bush administration on Tuesday certified that Colombia
was making progress in reining in paramilitary forces that terrorize the
civilian population, often working in conjunction with the country's armed
forces.

The decision, which releases about $27 million in military aid, was sharply
criticized by human rights groups. They accused the administration of
whitewashing Colombia's record -- in areas like prosecuting the
paramilitaries for human rights abuses, severing their ties with the
nation's military and bringing corrupt military leaders to trial -- in
order to protect its anti-drug strategy.