U.S., COLUMBIA WILL DOUBLE COCA-SPRAYING OPERATIONS

WASHINGTON -- U.S. and Colombian governments plan to double their
coca-spraying operations in Colombia this year after previous efforts
failed to dent production of cocaine, a U.S. official said yesterday.

The goal for 2002 is to spray 370,000 acres of fields, Deputy Assistant
Secretary of State Lino Gutierrez told a conference.

The expanded spraying is part of a U.S. assistance program that is expected
to intensify after Colombian President-elect Alvaro Uribe, who met with
President Bush in Washington yesterday, takes office Aug. 7.

The spraying programs of the past few years have had no noticeable impact
on overall cocaine production and exports by Colombia, which is the world's
largest producer.

The United States has spent $1.7 billion on the war on drugs in the Andes
over the past two years, but cocaine remains widely available in the United
States at stable prices.