(5 Aug 1999) Spanish/Eng/Nat
Colombian president Andres Pastrana has again his commitment to the fight against drugs in Colombia while trying to negotiate peace with the leftist guerrillas.
Pastrana made the comments during the inauguration of a new Navy unit that will fight the drugs and arms traffic along the country’s rivers.
General Charles Whilhelm, head of the U-S Army’s Southern Command, also attended the ceremony in a remote jungle town close to the border with Ecuador.
This is the Putumayo river, the natural border between Colombia, Ecuador and Peru.
It is also a natural passage for drugs and arms smugglers.
That’s why the Colombian government has chosen Puerto Leguizamo, a remote jungle town by the Putumayo river, as the base for a new elite unit that will patrol the country’s rivers.
The unit, divided in five battalions, totals three thousand men.
These men will be the ones in control of eight thousand kilometres of Colombia’s rivers from now on.
Armed with high speed power boats and trained by the United States, they’ll fight drugs and arms traffic.
President Andres Pastrana, accompanied by General Charles Whilhelm, head of the U-S Southern Command, attended the unit’s inauguration ceremony on Wednesday.
The U-S have contributed with more than 280 (m) million U-S dollars to Colombia this year to fight drug trafficking.
U-S reports show that cocaine production in Colombia has doubled in the last four years and heroin production has risen 20 percent.
The U-S blame the growing ties between guerrillas and the drug traffickers for the increase.
General Charles Whilhelm highlighted the links between the two during his visit to Puerto Leguizamo.
SOUNDBITE: (English)
"The guerrillas have a political agenda and narco-traffickers have an agenda which is profit. They are different people but their agendas have come together and create a unique challenge for Colombia and the United States"
SUPER CAPTION: General Charles Whilhelm, head of the U-S Southern Command
Colombia has become the third largest recipient of U-S aid in the world.
Addressing the troops, President Pastrana made clear that while fighting drugs with U-S aid, he intended to continue negotiating peace with the guerrillas.
SOUNDBITE: (Spanish)
"My government has stated it very clearly that there will not be negotiations with narco-traffickers, but I would like to say that it is possible to have a dialogue with the guerrillas in order to build a third democratic scenario in Colombia."
SUPER CAPTION: Andres Pastrana, President of Colombia
Huitotos indigenous from the region welcomed Pastrana and Whilhelm with traditional Indian head dresses.
There are some two thousand indigenous people in the area, most of them grow coca leaves for living.
Troops from the base are trying to encourage them to sell their crafts instead.
The base has been entirely financed by the Colombian government, but U-S Navy SEAL teams have trained Colombian soldiers in river warfare to confront guerrillas and smugglers.
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