U.S. PUSHES FOR HARD LINE

WASHINGTON - With elections in Colombia a month away, the Bush
administration expects the country's next president to take a harder line
in the battle against guerrillas and narcotics traffickers and dedicate
more resources to the fight, administration officials say.

The departure of President Andres Pastrana, who was thwarted in his main
goal of negotiating a peace deal with the rebels, opens the door for a more
aggressive leader as Colombians clamor for security, the officials say.

The United States is already preparing for a widening war in Colombia,
where the government has been battling two leftist insurgencies with ties
to drug trafficking and a right-wing paramilitary organization widely
accused of human rights abuses tolerated by the Colombian military.

The Bush administration has asked Congress to let Colombians use
U.S.-trained soldiers and equipment against the guerrillas, arguing that it
is not feasible to limit U.S. assistance to the fight against drugs.

It was unclear whether the officials were expressing a hope for a tougher
fight against the rebels and drug traffickers, or essentially demanding
that Colombia commit to the fight.

Although widely respected for his peace efforts, Pastrana became a virtual
lame duck several months ago as it became apparent that leaders of the main
leftist rebel group, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC,
had spurned his offers of negotiation and increased their attacks.

When talks finally broke down in February, Pastrana ordered troops to
retake a demilitarized zone he had ceded to the rebels.

Since then, Colombia's presidential campaign has entered its final phase
against a backdrop of growing violence. Leftist rebels kidnapped one
presidential candidate, Ingrid Betancourt, and her campaign manager;
earlier this month a bomb tore into the motorcade of the leading
presidential candidate, Alvaro Uribe.