FRONT-RUNNER FAVORS COLOMBIA POLICY

RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil (AP) - The front-runner in Brazil's presidential race
indicated Thursday he would not change current policy of opposing U.S.
financial and military aid to Colombia in its war on drugs.

Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva of the leftist Workers Party is far ahead of the
other candidates in the polls. If his numbers improve only slightly, he
could win in the first round on Oct. 6 without a run-off Oct. 27.

In an interview with O Globo television, Lula suggested he would not change
the country's foreign policy. Outgoing President Fernando Henrique Cardoso
opposes U.S. financial and military aid in Colombia's drug-trafficking
efforts.

Cardoso fears that the aid could lead to a further escalation of Colombia's
civil war and spill over into Brazil's little-protected Amazon border
region.

International intervention in Colombia's civil war under the pretext of
fighting drug trafficking is not acceptable, Lula said in an interview.

"It's up to the Colombian government to resolve the crisis in Colombia," he
said.

The latest survey by the pollster Ibope showed Lula was favored by 41
percent of respondents. The institute interviewed 3,000 people across the
nation between Sept. 18-21, with a margin of error of about 2 percent.

A distant second was government candidate Jose Serra with 18 percent. Former
Rio de Janeiro state Gov. Anthony Garotinho had 15 percent, and former
Finance Minister Ciro Gomes 12 percent.