Briefing by State Department spokesman Richard Boucher, May 5, 2005

Briefing by State Department spokesman Richard Boucher, May 5, 2005

QUESTION: Yesterday, two U.S. military officers were arrested in Bogotá in what Colombian civilian authorities are describing as an attempt to arm illegal paramilitary groups. Human Rights Watch in the past has produced documentary evidence to show U.S. support for the Colombian military, to have illegal relationships with these paramilitaries. Can you tell us whether or not -- and also these officers were arrested in a gated compound where many U.S. officers and contractors live -- can you tell us whether or not any U.S. agencies may be involved in secretly arming Colombian paramilitaries?

MR. BOUCHER: First, this has -- how can I say? This is a particular situation, a particular case. There is absolutely no U.S. policy and U.S. support or U.S. inclination or U.S. military operations involved in arming paramilitaries. We have declared these groups to be terrorist groups. We have supported President Uribe in his struggle against the terrorists from the left and from the right and we -- our goal in Colombia, operating under very strict laws, is to support the assertion of the power of the civilian government throughout its territory in a democratic manner that respects the human rights of all its citizens. And that's what the Secretary and President Uribe discussed just last week when she was down there.

Second, as far as this particular case, there were two U.S. soldiers who were detained by Colombian National Police on May 3rd in Melgar, Colombia. It's approximately 25 miles from Bogotá. Colombian officials released them to U.S. custody yesterday. They'll be transported to Bogotá today and we expect them to be taken on to the United States in the next few days.

Allegations that the U.S. military personnel involved were trafficking in ammunition are indeed extremely troubling to us. As with all criminal allegations against U.S. military personnel, we're committed to a full investigation and we'll be working with the Colombian authorities in that regard.

As of May 9, 2005, this document was also available online at http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/dpb/2005/45716.htm