Letter to Appropriations Committee Chairman Rep. Jerry Lewis (R-California) from Reps. Henry Hyde (R-Illinois), Tom Davis (R-Virginia), Dan Burton (R-Indiana), and Mark Souder (R-Indiana), May 13, 2005

Congress of the United States
Washington DC 20515

May 13, 2005

The Honorable Jerry Lewis
Chairman
Committee on Appropriations
H218 Capitol
U.S. House of Representatives
Washington, DC 20515

Dear Mr. Chairman:

We write to ask the Committee on Appropriations to provide specific additional counter-narcotics support to Colombia. The President of Colombia, Alvaro Uribe, recently made a specific request to a visiting International Relations Committee delegation for equipment to establish an additional aerial drug eradication base in Colombia. The delegation, led by Western Hemisphere Subcommittee Chairman Dan Burton, also received extensive briefings from U.S. law enforcement and Navy officials and their Colombian counterparts regarding coastal drug interdiction efforts in that South American country.

Equipping an additional aerial drug eradication base will require four (4) AT802 Air Tractor fumigation airplanes; six (6) HUEY II helicopters and two (2) Black Hawk Helicopters. The cost of procuring this equipment is estimated at $120 million.

In addition, the Colombian Navy can dramatically step up its successful coastal drug interdiction efforts if it is provided with two (2) DC-3T Patrol and Intercept aircraft. The procurement of the two aircraft, including the cost of Forward Looking Infrared Radar (FLIR), night vision, search radar and all the other required equipment is estimated at $22 Million.

Furthermore, the Colombian National Police's Judicial & Investigative Division (DIJIN) has had great success with its electronic intelligence intercept program. An additional $5 million is needed to extend this effective counter-narcotics and counter-terrorism program for two years.

Our joint aerial drug eradication program is destroying illegal drugs and denying financing to the several State-Department-designated Foreign Terrorist Organizations operating in Colombia. Moreover, an independent team of scientists from the Organization of American States recently concluded that the aerial eradication program does not pose undue risks.

President Uribe doesn't just want to hold the line. He wants to win. He's asking us to help him step up drug eradication. Furthermore, Colombia is a key to stability in the Andean region of South America. We believe that it is in our nation's interest to respond positively to President Uribe's request.

Sincerely,

HENRY J. HYDE
Chairman
Committee on International Relations

TOM DAVIS
Chairman
Committee on Government Reform

DAN BURTON
Chairman
Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere
Committee on International Relations

MARK E. SOUDER
Chairman
Subcommittee on Criminal Justice, Drug Policy and Human Resources
Committee on Government Reform

cc: The Honorable Jim Kolbe, Chairman, Subcommittee on Foreign Operations, Export Financing and Related Programs, Committee on Appropriations