Speech by Sen. Charles Grassley (R- Iowa), June 23, 2004
Mr. GRASSLEY. Mr. President, I rise today to express my opposition to Senator BYRD's amendment to Section 1052 which would cap the number of U.S. military personnel and civilian contractors operating in Colombia at 500 and 500, respectively. I support the current committee language that increases the caps to 800 and 600, respectively, because it will enhance our efforts to help the Uribe administration stop the flow of drugs from their country and into ours.

The situation in Colombia is at a critical point. We must ensure that it continues to move in the right direction. Colombia is a strong ally and major trading partner of the United States and is critical to the stability of the Western Hemisphere. It is also the home of three major terrorist organizations that derive about 70 percent of their funding from the production and distribution of cocaine, nearly half of which ends up on our streets. Their violent activities are a result of the need to maintain their narcotics trade, which has resulted in the social and economic instability of the country and the region.

President Uribe has shown a strong commitment to ending the drug trade in Colombia by the end of his administration in 2006. I am extremely encouraged by his successes in drug eradication and his efforts to strengthen democracy and the rule of law. In 2003, coca production was down 21 percent and opium poppy was down 10 percent from the previous year. So far this year, the number of hectares of coca eradicated and the number of drug seizures are up from last year. We must continue this success that is needed to maintain domestic and international support for the eradication program.

In Colombia, narcotics trafficking and terrorist acts have made it one of the most dangerous places in the world. Last year, Vice President Francisco Santos-Calderon testified before the Senate Drug Caucus that more than 8,000 acts of terror were committed against the Colombian people over the previous 5 years, including over 30,000 violent deaths during each of those years. However, since the vice president's testimony, there have been significant reductions in the numbers of homicides, assassinations, kidnappings and other terrorist acts. I am encouraged by these numbers and know that these changes are very encouraging to the people of Colombia.

Our counter-narcotics efforts in Colombia include military funding for equipment, training and education programs for Colombian military personnel. Raising the existing personnel caps will allow additional U.S. personnel to be made available to train Colombian personnel, and will enhance their ability to conduct their counter-narcotics missions. We have a window of opportunity here that we need to take advantage of. The United States must be willing to help the Colombian government reach this goal. I strongly urge my colleagues to oppose this amendment and ensure an adequate number of U.S. personnel available in Colombia.

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