Speech by Rep. Cass Ballenger (R-North Carolina), March 6, 2002

Speech by Rep. Cass Ballenger (R-North Carolina), March 6, 2002

Mr. BALLENGER. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to note the Colombian Army has made progress in this area, and, while not perfect, no one is. At least they are trying and have made good progress.

I also note that an alternative to a well-trained and respectful Colombian Army is the AUC, and that right-wing paramilitary respects no one's rights, engages in terrorism, illicit drugs, and kills innocent civilians.

No one here is proposing that we repeal the Leahy amendment that prohibits aid to the units of Colombian military that engage in human rights abuses. Leahy is existing law. The Leahy restriction will remain law and has my strong support, and human rights concerns will not be thrown out the window in a new Colombian policy.

I also note the counter-drug aid that we provided to the Colombian police, their antinarcotics unit, has been delivered and used in the last 2 years without even one allegation of a human rights abuse; I repeat, not even one allegation.

The Colombians can and will respect human rights if we help them and we train them and we stand shoulder to shoulder next to them in the fight. The police antinarcotics unit is a case of study for engagement.

Absent a new U.S. policy, the right-wing paramilitaries will fill the void in Colombia, and the human rights of no one, especially civilians, will be safe. We can stay on the sidelines or help our neighbor. The answer is clear, especially since September 11. We need to fight global terrorism whenever and wherever it raises its ugly head.

As of March 7, 2002, this document was also available online at http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/B?r107:@FIELD(FLD003+h)+@FIELD(DDATE+20020306)