Press conference by Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Marc Grossman, April 30, 2001

Press conference by Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Marc Grossman, April 30, 2001
U.S. Department of State

Marc Grossman
Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs

PRESS CONFERENCE: III MEETING OF THE SUPPORT GROUP FOR THE PEACE PROCESS IN COLOMBIA

Sponsored by the European Commission and the Inter-American Development Bank

Borchette Building
European Commission
Brussels, Belgium
April 30, 2001

UNDER SECRETARY GROSSMAN: You all know Ambassador Morningstar, he is our Ambassador to the European Union. Who else is up here with me? Ben Duffy, who you all know. Bill Brownfield, Deputy Assistant Secretary, Western Hemisphere, State Department. Jim Mack, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs.

First of all, let me say the obvious: that we're pleased to be here in Brussels to attend this conference sponsored by the European Union and the Inter-American Development Bank. We think that this conference that's taken place today is an important demonstration of the continuing political and material contribution to the people and democratic government of Colombia. I think it would be fair to say that all the conversation that I heard today in the room, has led me to conclude that when I say "we" in this case, "we" the United States -- "we" the international community -- are committed to this not because this is just Colombia's problem. It is because this is everybody's problem.

And we recognize that it's more than a drug problem that can be overcome by enforcement alone. I should say, and I think it's important to repeat, that President Bush, Secretary Powell, many of the people that you see up on the table, have emphasized that fighting narcotics is the responsibility of not only the drug producing and transit countries, but also of consumer nations. And one of the things I think that came through very much in today's conversations, certainly from us and from the representative from Mexico, is that countries that have consuming problems and transit problems share a responsibility here, and need to help Colombia confront its problems.

Conference participants also expressed their strong support for President Pastrana's leadership of the difficult peace process. Conference participants saluted his administration's steadfast efforts to negotiate an end to Colombia's internal conflict. And I referred and several other speakers referred to the statement that was issued after the Quebec summit, where all the democratically elected leaders of the hemisphere also supported the effort of President Pastrana's government to achieve peace and reconciliation, as did the leaders in Quebec. I think all of the people here would call on the guerrilla movements -- FARC, ELN, AUC -- to act in such a way that would promote this peace process.

I had the chance in my statement to welcome European and Japanese commitments and those of other countries in the hemisphere, to provide political and material support for the peace process. And I also said that, in my judgment anyway, and in the judgment of my government, more will be needed.

We came here to take stock of what everybody had done, and what people needed to do next. I know that you have already been briefed on reports from the government of Colombia, about what it has tried to achieve, not only in the area of human rights, but in peace and development. We also agreed that the process of assistance and reform has to be translated into reality, and I think it was one of the things that Commissioner Patten [Commissioner for External Relations at the European Commission, Chris Patten] emphasized in his press conference earlier today.

What I did, I tried to report to the conference in two areas. One was in what we've already done, which was the $1.3 billion [$1,300 million] which we committed to Colombia last year, and I reported specifically and especially on our $230 million program for social and economic development in Colombia. I also took the opportunity to brief the conference on President Bush's announcement at the Summit of the Americas in Quebec, that he will seek $882 million for the Andean Regional Initiative.

What I said to the conference was that this Andean Regional Initiative was very much the result of consultation and conversation that happened in Madrid and Bogota with all the people who are involved in supporting Colombia. Because people said to us we need to do more in the region, we need to do more in the other countries, we need a balance between counter-narcotics and the other parts of the requirement. And that's exactly what we are trying to do. Because the challenge that faces Colombia is obviously a challenge that faces the region. And at the same time, we'll never meet the challenge to the region without meeting the challenge in Colombia. And so with the Andean Regional Initiative this is our objective. And about half of the Andean Regional Initiative will be for Colombia, while the other half will go to the six other regional countries. And about half of the money will be for alternative development and institution building, while the other half will be for counter-narcotics programs. And I thought generally that we had quite a positive reaction to the Andean Regional Initiative today.

So, in conclusion, I'd say that we were glad to be here, glad to have a chance to say some things to people who are interested in Colombia. We look forward to continuing close cooperation with the Colombians and everyone represented in that room, because we share the goal of Colombian democracy and Colombian success. So with that, I'd be glad to answer any questions you might have.

QUESTION: Could you please go over the numbers again?

UNDER SECRETARY GROSSMAN: I'd be glad to do that, of course. The Andean Regional Initiative, that President Bush has proposed, is a total of 882 million dollars. Now let me be very clear here that in our country obviously that is a proposition. The Congress will appropriate the funds or not appropriate the funds as they see fit. So I want to be clear, that is the proposal: the Andean Regional Initiative. And the idea here is to meet some of the requirements and suggestions of our partners in this effort, which is to be regional and continue to focus in on issues of social development, of democracy, of economic growth. And so that is what we're trying to do. The way the numbers work is that half of the Andean Regional Initiative's assistance will be for Colombia, while the other half will go to the six other countries in the Andean region. And about half the resources will be for counter-narcotics, and the other half for alternative development, institution building, democracy, social justice. So that is the idea here behind the Andean Regional Initiative.

QUESTION: What are the other six countries?

DEPUTY ASSISTANT SECRETARY BROWNFIELD: The total would be seven, and they are - in no particular order, roughly north to south: Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Brazil, Peru, Bolivia and Panama.

QUESTION: Do you think that the Europeans share this view, that it is a regional program, and not something that can be localized in Colombia?

UNDER SECRETARY GROSSMAN: Absolutely. And I'll say two things about that. First, one of the reasons that we have highlighted the Andean Regional Initiative today is that many of our European colleagues highlighted this was a regional issue and urged us to do this. And so one of the reasons to do the Andean Regional Initiative is to meet the suggestion of some of our partners in this struggle. The second thing is, I would expand your question slightly and say that the other people who have absolute clarity that this is a regional challenge are of course those people in the region itself. And so the intervention of Mexico, for example, and the intervention from Brazil, couldn't have been any more clear about the importance of Colombia to the region and the region to Colombia.

QUESTION: Do you support directly the Plan Colombia, or do you support the Peace Process in Colombia, and which of your aid is designated to either Plan Colombia or Peace Process?

UNDER SECRETARY GROSSMAN: You know, I think you have to step back a little bit here, and not set up a load of distinctions that I don't believe actually exist. Plan Colombia is a Colombian plan. It's not an American plan. It's not a European plan. It's not an Inter-American Development Bank plan. It's a Colombian plan. And if you look at Plan Colombia, what do you find? Plan Colombia is about democracy, it's about development and it's about counter-narcotics. And countries like the United States, institutions like the European Union or the Inter-American Development Bank, and individual countries in the European Union are supporting those goals. And I actually don't mind which you call it. As long as people are supporting the goals that Colombia has set out for itself: democracy, development, counter-narcotics. And so, we're not ashamed of what we do. We support what the Colombians do. But I would urge you not to draw this distinction, saying "Oh, Plan Colombia is over here, and the Peace Process over there." Without peace there's no success. On the other hand, without a serious counter-narcotics effort there's no success because there can be no peace. Because it's narcotics that fund and fund and fund these groups that are destroying peace in Colombia.

QUESTION: Adrain Croft, Reuters. Commissioner Patten at his press conference said that the EU was not supporting military activity in Colombia. Now, do you see a strong philosophical difference between the US and the European Union in how to go about fighting drugs or how to go about helping Colombia?

UNDER SECRETARY GROSSMAN: I do not. I think it was clear all day, and I've listened to most of the interventions today, the people recognize that without an effective counter-narcotics strategy the idea that Colombia will succeed in this democracy, development and counter-narcotics goal will fail. And everybody's got to contribute to this in their own way. And we do what we do, others do what they do. But I want to be clear here, I do not wish to be put into the position that the only thing the United States of America does is crop eradication. That isn't right. I think we have suffered too long from that image and I don't want to perpetuate it. Which is why in my intervention today, and as best I could here with you, I've tried to highlight the fact that we have very large amounts of money going into all the parts of the Colombian goal to have democracy, development and counter-narcotics.

QUESTION: (in Spanish) The Europeans are supporting the Peace Process The US is supporting the military package. Some NGOs are calling for a moratorium on the military side. Does the US see its way clear to a military moratorium, specifically as regards the arrival of helicopters, suspension of crop spraying, and support for manual eradication as the Europeans are suggesting?

UNDER SECRETARY GROSSMAN: No. And it goes back to the answer I tried to give to this gentleman. The idea somehow that people are only doing certain things, and not doing other things, is wrong. Everybody is trying to support Colombia. Have we passed out the intervention that I gave in there? (Yes.) OK, if you'll look on page 8, we have tried to list in four or five cases exactly what it is that this money is going for. It's early warning. It's displaced persons. It's reintegrating child soldiers into society. It's aiding farmers through alternative development. So the idea somehow that the United States of America does only crop eradication is wrong. And I would just urge you all to see if you can kind of expand your minds a little bit, and maybe expand your readers' minds, that that's not what this is about. It's about the support of Colombia.

QUESTION: Did you (inaudible) from the European side on the military side, because it appears not to be very well supported by your European partners. Did you feel much pressure against this military side of the plan?

UNDER SECRETARY GROSSMAN: None whatsoever.

QUESTION: I am a Mexican journalist from the national news agency, and I want to ask you with your partners in Mexico, you have this problem between Mexico and the United States. The same problem: drugs Mexicans are producing, the US is consuming.

UNDER SECRETARY GROSSMAN: Let me just say that I'll let the representatives of Mexico speak for themselves. But let me tell you what struck me, in all of my conversations with Mexican representatives over this last twenty-four hours. That is, that Mexico has been among the most eloquent of countries in recognizing the responsibility of consumer and transit countries in doing something about counter-narcotics. And again I urge you to speak with them, but they couldn't have been any more clear about this.

QUESTION: Agence France Presse. The initiative for six countries in the region: is eradication of crops going to be in there?'

UNDER SECRETARY GROSSMAN: Yes.

DEPUTY ASSISTANT SECRETARY BROWNFIELD: Although it would depend. Coca is grown commercially in large scale in only three countries: Colombia, Peru, Bolivia. Each country has approached eradication with its own strategy. In Bolivia, through Plan Dignidad, by manual eradication. In Peru, through an aggressive interdiction program and forcing the price of coca down so low that farmers leave production. And in Colombia it has been a mix of voluntary and forced eradication. Each would be an element in those three countries, not in all seven.

DEPUTY ASSISTANT SECRETARY MACK: And Peru also uses forced manual eradication.

QUESTION: How would be the counter-narcotics front in the other countries?

UNDER SECRETARY GROSSMAN: Well again I think it would depend very much on what the problem is. I'm sure it would be a combination of eradication, interdiction and increasing information.

Thank you all very much.

As of May 2, 2001, this document was also available online at http://usinfo.state.gov/admin/011/lef211.htm