PRESS CONFERENCE BY PRESIDENT OF COLOMBIA

Press Briefing

PRESS CONFERENCE BY PRESIDENT OF COLOMBIA

Although Colombia had suffered internal conflict for over 40 years, it was not split by a civil war and would not become the next Viet Nam, nor bring about World War III, that country’s President, Andres Pastrana, told correspondents this afternoon at a press conference.

Today money from drug trafficking was being used to finance internal conflict, he said. Colombia by itself could not win the battle against drug trafficking. It needed international cooperation. Last week in Brasilia, Latin American countries met and expressed support for a plan to address the problem -- the Colombia Plan.

Colombia was holding bilateral meetings during the Millennium Summit to garner further support for that plan, he explained. He hoped to get firm commitments of support for it during his scheduled visit to Europe in November.

President Pastrana explained that Colombia would contribute $4.5 billion of the total $7.5 billion required to implement the Colombia Plan, and that he hoped the rest would come from the international community. Seventy-five per cent of that money would be dedicated to social investment and 25 per cent would go towards fighting the drug problem.

Asked about efforts to deal with insurgent groups in his country, President Pastrana said that he was trying to put together a group of five “facilitator countries” -- Norway, France, Cuba, Spain and Switzerland -- to help mediate with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia and with the National Liberation Army.

Asked about the recent controversy about arms that Jordan said it had sold to the Peruvian Government which ended up with Colombia's rebels, President Pastrana said that he had met with Peru's President and they had agreed that the heads of their intelligence services would meet to discuss the matter.

Jordan had explained that the arms were part of a legitimate government-to- government arms sale, he continued. The question about how the arms ended up with the guerrillas must be answered.

Colombia’s Foreign Minister would also meet with the Jordanian Foreign Minister, he added. However, he stated that the issue had not harmed relations with Peru, as both countries were eager to get to the bottom of the matter.

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