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Updated:7/30/01 |
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from the July 11th hearing of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on
Foreign Operations Panel 1: Panel 2: Subcommittee Members Present: I. Leahy Statement II. McConnell Statement III. Campbell Statement- The Senator began his statement by focusing
on the need for drug education programs in the United States. He cited
statistics that shows that drug use among teenagers has decreased over
the years, hopefully due to successful school programs and advertising
campaigns by the government. However, he emphasized his view that the
key to the drug war lies in decreasing demand at home, particularly through
education programs, rather than trying to eradicate drugs at their source.
Also, Senator Campbell stated that coca farmers must have a viable market
in order to sell alternative development crops, or otherwise they would
have no choice but to continue cultivating coca. IV. Rand Beers Statement-Beers began by first commenting on the statement
of the Senators. He highlighted the need for the Andean Initiative and
similar legislation, stating that supply reduction was just as important
as reducing demand in the U.S. Plus, the budget for decreasing drug demand
in the U.S. through education and rehabilitation programs was small. Beers
continued by breaking down the aid package for the Andean Initiative and
comparing it to Plan Colombia. Plan Colombia was only an initial response
to the drug problems in the Andean region, while the new aid package presents
a more long-term interest. The Andean Initiative represents a 50-50 split
between security and social/economic aid, while Plan Colombia was more
military in nature. The new aid package continues to give large amounts
of security aid to Colombia; however, the purpose of this aid is to maintain
the equipment acquired during Plan Colombia rather than to provide for
new large military acquisitions. In the Andean Initiative, Ecuador and
Peru will receive the next largest amounts of security aid in order to
prevent spillover from Colombia. Beers emphasized that aerial eradication
is an essential component in the war against drugs, especially when paired
with alternative development in a "carrot or the stick" strategy.
Also, efforts must be made to avoid spraying subsistence crops, and Beers
stated that no reports of accidental crop spraying had been reported unless
the crops were interspersed with coca plants. He reiterated various reports
that glyphosate is not harmful to either humans or the environment when
used in the correct dosages, and that coca farmers clear cutting land
and using pesticides posed a more hazardous threat to the environment.
Beers concluded by expressing his commitment to human rights and noting
the improvement of the Colombian military's human rights record. V. Deal Statement VI. Questions: Leahy- In the April 20th shoot down of a missionary plane in Peru, authorities have stated that the pilot of the plane followed procedures to the letter, placing the situation in suspicion. Some sources have even stated that the plane was strafed with gunfire even after it was shot down. Can you comment whether or not these reports are true? Beers-No, the plane was not fired upon after crashing. Under injunction I cannot disclose any more information until a review of the crash is completed at the month. Leahy-The committee will want to see the report once it is completed. Are the drug interdiction procedures in Colombia different from those in Peru? What are the risks of these procedures? Beers-The methods are different, and the report I mentioned before will outline these differences and the risks associated with each. Leahy-How much of the funds appropriated last year to security have been dispersed? Beers-I do not have that information. Leahy-How much of the funds appropriated to drug interdiction have been dispersed? Beers-I do not have that information. Leahy-How much of the funds appropriated for the Colombian police have been dispersed? Beers-I do not have that information. Leahy-Of the money appropriated last year to alternative development, part of the funds were to be given to families that wanted to switch from coca cultivation to another crop. How many families have received money? Deal-29,000 families have volunteered to eradicate their coca crops in exchange for help to grow other crops. Of these families, 1,800 have received financial help. Leahy-$22 million dollars was appropriated for displaced persons. How many have been helped with this money? Deal-I do not have that figure. However, the office is 60% ahead of schedule in aiding displaced persons. McConnell-The US government has hired DynCorp pilots to fly aerial fumigation missions in Colombia. What is the threat of a US pilot being shot down or kidnapped? Beers-We have not yet experienced a problem with the DynCorp pilots. The procedure before flying an aerial fumigation mission eliminates many of the risks involved for the pilots. A survey of the coca fields is first taken and we look at insurgent activity in the area, minimizing threats that the pilots will be fired upon and ensuring that they know where to spray during their mission. Also, pilots do not return to sprayed areas immediately, but rather fly unpredictable patterns of coca eradication so as to decrease chances that they will meet with resistance. At times, Colombian ground troops are even used to ensure that the area is safe. McConnell-Let me ask this again, what are the risks to the pilots? Beers-Everything possible is done to minimize the risks, but we cannot eliminate them. McConnell-When will Colombian nationals be able to take over the positions of DynCorp pilots? Beers-By next year we hope to increase the number of Colombian nationals flying aerial fumigation missions from 11 to 23, and we do not plan on sending any more US pilots to Colombia. McConnell-When though? Beers-By the end of the calendar year 2002. McConnell-There are reports of abuses committed by DynCorp pilots in Bosnia. What is being done to prevent this in Colombia? Beers-If a pilot engages in misconduct, he will be removed from the country and fired from the company. McConnell-If a US pilot were captured in Colombia, who would rescue him? Beers-I do not know who would do the rescue mission. We must remember though that proportionally US pilots fly very few missions in the program. Campbell-Are the spray aircraft armed? Beers-No Campbell-You say glyphosate is not harmful, which is interestingly the same thing the US military used to say about Agent Orange. Can you tell me what glyphosate does? Beers-Glyphosate is a defoliant certified twice by the EPA, once in the 70's and once in the 90's. In appropriate dosages, it is harmless. It can be dangerous in concentrated form, but we do not use that form in spraying, the chemical is diluted. Glyphosate will kill coca or less hardy plants; however, rainforest root systems are too strong to be affected. The chemical takes 24 hours to destroy the root system of a coca plant, and the field can be replanted within 48 hours because it biodegrades quickly in the soil. We plan more safety tests on the chemical. I would like to remind you though that 90% of the glyphosate used in Colombia is for agriculture and not for drug eradication. Campbell-What other countries are making contributions to the Andean Initiative? Beers-Interamerican banks, the EU, Great Britain, and Spain. Other countries are interested because the drug trade is a form of international crime. Campbell-What form of benefits do the farmers receive from alternative development? Do we give them the new crops, marketing assistance, etc? Deal-Yes, we do. We also are helping to form co-ops. The Colombian government is also providing infrastructure by building new roads and similar projects. Campbell-We know how much coca has been eradicated, but how much new coca has been planted? Beers-We don't know. Leahy-Last year we appropriated $4 million to protect human rights workers. How much has been done? Has anyone been prosecuted? Deal-We have given several grants to NGO's for this purpose. However, I do not know if anyone has been prosecuted. Leahy-Mr. Vivanco's testimony says that the Attorney General's Human Rights Unit and advisors from the Internal Affairs Agency have received only $65, 763 from USAID. Half of this money was spent flying Colombian prosecutors to the US to learn about the American judicial system. Have any other judicial reforms been made? Beers- We have instituted forensics courses and have plans to set up satellite offices for 4 human rights units. Leahy- Have their been any measures taken to get human rights workers to communities quickly after massacres have taken place? Beers- No specific arrangements have been made. Leahy- Are we paying a Washington DC public relations firm to advise the Colombian military? Beers- No, US money is not being used for this purpose. The military is using a public relations firm, but they are advising the Ministry of Defense on how to deal with human rights issues in a transparent manner. Leahy-The State Department has reported that the paramilitaries have a support base in the Colombian military and police and that Pastrana has not taken enough steps to sever these links. At the same time, the United States decided to waive certain human rights considerations with Plan Colombia. If the paramilitaries numbers are increasing, the number of atrocities is increasing, and we are willing to ignore human rights abuses, why should we remove human rights conditions from this new piece of legislation? Beers- We need to institute a forceful human rights program to ensure progress in this area. The military has targeted paramilitaries more and more. Furthermore, the leader of the AUC, Carlos Castaño, has stepped down, signifying changes in the organizational level of the paramilitaries. (He seemed to note Castaño's resignation as a sign of progress, failing to mention that the new ruling group in the AUC is formed by hardliners). Specter- We have not seen significant results from Plan Colombia. For every $2 spent on Colombia, only $1 is spent to decrease drug demand in the US. What is the benefit of continuing these aid packages for the United States? Beers- We have eradicated 50,000 hectares more of coca than in previous efforts. By next year we expect a 30% reduction in the coca crop. We must remember, however, that not all of the resources have reached Colombia so we cannot yet judge the results of this package. (Specter visibly angry) Specter- Are we cooperating with Castro in the drug interdiction problem? Beers- There were some attempts at cooperation a few years ago, and there is now a liaison officer in Cuba for that purpose. Specter- For the record, I would like reports on the following: 1-what more could Castro do to cooperate with us in drug interdiction and 2-what aerial spraying will cost, what results will it produce, and evidence that these efforts will not cause coca farmers to simply move to nearby countries to cultivate drugs. McConnell- Because of the problems with counterinsurgency in Colombia, what are the chances for peace in the foreseeable future? Beers- The one shining light in the peace process has been the recent prisoner exchange between the FARC guerrillas and the Colombian government. However, there is no sign of a larger peace agreement with the FARC because they are unwilling to back down. McConnell- So what good are we doing if the FARC is constantly going to be using drugs to finance its activities? Beers- As long as the FARC is in Colombia, there will be problems with coca cultivation and the drug trade. Leahy- Colombia dismissed 388 soldiers for supposed human rights abuses and expected this to make the US government happy. However, they will not tell us what these soldiers were dismissed for, whether it be human rights violations or drunkenness on duty. Were there human rights violators in this group of dismissed soldiers? Beers- I do not know. Leahy- Have any of these dismissed soldiers joined the paramilitaries after leaving the military? Beers- There have been reports that this is the case, but I do not know. VII. Leahy reads letter from Colombian woman whose husband was killed
by the 14th brigade of the Colombian Army. He disappeared on March 19th
and was found dead on April 1st with his legs cut off. The man was not
a guerrilla or a guerrilla sympathizer. She is asking the Senator for
help because the prosecutors in Bogotá have not helped her with
the case. VIII. Leahy reads the introduction of the LA Times article on the Naya
Massacre. He then points out that the Colombian military was stationed
only 20 miles away from the massacre, and incredulously asks whether the
military had no idea what was happening in the Naya region. IX. Vivanco testimony- Before giving his testimony, Vivanco comments
on Beers testimony. He points out that the only progress made against
the paramilitaries has been due not to the military's help but because
of the Colombian Attorney General's office. Vivanco states that the main
obstacle to prosecuting the paramilitaries has been the army. The army
has refused to arrest those paramilitaries who have warrants out against
them, nor will they give protection to members of the Attorney General's
office who wish to find them. Also, he points out that the Attorney General's
office is severely under funded, with the human rights section of the
office still waiting for funds from Plan Colombia. X. Questions: Leahy- So it is obvious that non-military money has not yet reached Colombia. What about the 388 dismissed soldiers-do you know why they were dismissed? Vivanco- No, I do not. Leahy- Have you seen the Public Advocate report on the Naya Massacre? Vivanco- No, I am not familiar with it. Leahy- Could you please summarize the letter that Human Rights Watch sent to Marulanda? Vivanco- (summarizes letter and reasons for sending it) Leahy- Do you believe that we should continue having human rights restrictions on aid? Vivanco- The important thing is to continue engaging the various actors and not waiving human rights conditions. Leahy- In the town of Santo Domingo, the Colombian military dropped a US-manufactured bomb while flying a US plane. Has their been a credible investigation into this situation? Vivanco- The FBI conducted an investigation and concluded that the bombing was the fault of the Colombian military. I do not believe that anything has been done to prosecute the offenders in Colombia. Leahy- Does the Leahy Law apply to the Santo Domingo case? Vivanco- Yes. Leahy- What are your sense of the efforts to sever links between the army and the paramilitaries? Vivanco- In some areas, there exists close, active coordination and support with the military units. This includes sharing intelligence, communication, vehicles, and soldiers. Leahy- Does the Colombian Attorney General's office support the new piece of security legislation recently passed by the Colombian Congress? Vivanco- I am not sure on the office's position because Pastrana recently named a new Attorney General. Without oversight this legislation is a recipe for heightened abuses. (Leahy links this to NY Times editorial and ends)
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