Excerpts from press conference, Presidents Bush and Pastrana and Prime Minister Jean Chretién of Canada, Quebec City, Canada, April 23, 2001

Excerpts from press conference, Presidents Bush and Pastrana and Prime Minister Jean Chretién of Canada, Quebec City, Canada, April 23, 2001
Q Thank you, yes. My name is Rafael Porier (ph). I work for -- (inaudible) -- Television in Colombia. This question is for Mr. Bush, and if Mr. Pastrana will react to it too, and Mr. Chretien if that's possible.

Regarding the declaration backing out the peace process in Colombia, Mr. Bush, will your government be willing to take a more active role and participate in this peace process, and how committed are you to the peace process in Colombia?

PRESIDENT BUSH: We have funded Plan Colombia, which is over a billion dollars of U.S. taxpayer money. That's a very strong commitment. At this summit we laid out an additional Andean initiative of $880 million. The money is not only to go to Colombia but t he surrounding countries to Colombia, monies that recognize that not only is interdiction important, but also we need to develop infrastructure, we need to have sustainable crop replacement programs. So our country is committed to the region. I believe firmly that President Pastrana is a strong leader who is doing everything he can to bring the peace. But it's going to be up to President Pastrana to make the peace. Once he does so, we'll stand by his side. And so our support has been strong and it's been consistent. And we'll continue to support our friend, the democratically-elected leader of Colombia.

PRESIDENT PASTRANA: Thank you very much for your question. Yes, I think President Bush has resumed what has been the help, $1.3 billion, last year. It took about a near one billion dollars for this next year for what he has been calling the Andean initiative. More than money, we are asking commerce -- that's what we are asking the United States. That's what we are asking Europe. And that's why President Bush is committed in the extension of APCA (ph) - (inaudible) -- to try to get really some preference that would allow us to get more employment for our people.

I think that President Bush is also very committed in drug interdiction. I said yesterday to President Bush that a drug addict is a drug terrorist. One smell of cocaine, the United

States is -- (inaudible) -- Colombia. So that's why he is also very committed in working and fighting inside the United States. As you well know, the U.S. is expending nearly $20 billion in drug prevention programs, and he is really very committed to bring down consumption in his country. And I think that we had a meeting in Cartagena, the Andean countries, the APCA (ph) countries, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia. We invite them as well as an observer to the APCA (ph) and we hope with the help of President Bush and with the help of the U.S. Congress we will get the APCA (ph) out before the end of this year and that will bring us new opportunities for the poorest people in our country.

PRIME MIN. CHRETIEN: And of Canada, we reassured the president that if he needs us to play a certain role we'd be available. There are some discussions to have certain participation. And if we can be useful, we'd be happy to help.