EX-POLICE CHIEF URGED FOR U.N. DRUG POST

Several key members of Congress, along with U.S. drug officials, are
calling for the appointment of retired Colombian National Police Director
Gen. Rosso Jose Serrano as the new executive director of the U.N. Office
for Drug Control and Crime Prevention.

Concerned that the State Department has not moved aggressively to endorse
the appointment, the lawmakers and officials have written to Secretary of
State Colin L. Powell to solicit support for the Serrano nomination.

"Gen. Serrano's reputation as an international law enforcement officer and
unwavering ally of the U.S. government is nothing short of legendary," said
Asa Hutchinson, head of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, in a
letter Friday to Mr. Powell.

"His relentless pursuit of the Medellin and Cali drug cartels, even in the
face of countless threats against his life, personifies the resolve of the
Colombian people in their ongoing struggle against the oppression of
illegal drugs," he said. "Gen. Serrano's appointment as executive director
would be a natural transition and well-deserved capstone of a stellar
career in the counterdrug arena."

Sen. Jesse Helms, North Carolina Republican and ranking member of the
Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said in a separate letter to Mr. Powell
that Gen. Serrano was a "man of uncommon courage and integrity who has a
tremendous record of success battling on the front lines of the war against
international narcotics trafficking."

"I strongly urge you to consider promoting Gen. Serrano's candidacy for
this important U.N. post," Mr. Helms said. "His credentials are impeccable,
his friendship with the U.S. is firm and his dedication to the task at hand
is without question."

In a letter to U.N. Ambassador John Negroponte, with copies to President
Bush and Mr. Powell, Republican Reps. Benjamin A. Gilman of New York,
chairman emeritus of the House Committee on International Relations, and
Dan Burton of Indiana, chairman of the House Government Reform Committee,
also encouraged the Serrano appointment.

"He is a good friend of the United States and a longtime ally in the
worldwide fight against illicit drugs and crime," they said. "He is the
right man at the right time."

Several other members of Congress, including House Speaker J. Dennis
Hastert, have offered their support for Gen. Serrano. Drug policy chief
John Walters also met with Gen. Serrano in Colombia last month and has
conveyed his support of the general to the State Department.

The State Department has not made any public comments concerning the U.N. post.

Recently, Paul V. Kelly, assistant secretary for legislative affairs at the
department, told Mr. Gilman in a letter that a number of candidates to
replace former Executive Director Pino Arlacchi were "still emerging" and
that the department would "carefully consider the qualifications of all the
candidates for the position and make our views known to U.N.
Secretary-General Annan, who will make the appointment."

Capitol Hill sources said Gen. Serrano is believed to have fallen out of
favor with the State Department, although they are not sure why.

"Serrano had been widely regarded as the most logical person to replace
Pino Arlacchi as the executive director," said one key congressional source.

The sources noted that the appointment of an aggressive executive director
for the United Nations post was critical, particularly in the wake of the
war in Afghanistan and continuing concerns that those who produce the opium
poppy crop in that country will threaten the viability of any new Afghan
government.

Afghanistan has been a major source for the cultivation, processing and
trafficking of opiate and cannabis products. It produced more than 70
percent of the world's illicit opium in 2000. Narcotics are the largest
source of income in Afghanistan due to the decimation of the country's
economy by years of war.