Excerpts from State Department Daily Briefing, July 31, 2000

Excerpts from State Department Daily Briefing, July 31, 2000

U.S. Department of State
Press Briefing
MONDAY, JULY 31, 2000
Briefer: Philip T. Reeker, Deputy Spokesman

QUESTION: Do you have any new comments about the use of the helicopters, the US helicopters which are in Colombia fighting against drugs that have been allowed to be used in fighting with guerrillas?

MR. REEKER: Let me just say you're referring obviously to the bloody attack by the FARC on the Colombian town of Arboleda over the weekend. Again, once more we've seen that innocent civilians have been killed as a result of these extremely irresponsible, brutal and senseless attacks by the FARC. Their attack on this very remote town of Arboleda killed at least eight police officers and two female civilians. It shows once again the FARC's lack of interest in moving quickly to negotiate an end to the decades long conflict that has plagued Colombia, despite many concessions that have been made by the Government of Colombia.

So we continue to call upon the FARC and all the combatants in Colombia to immediately abandon attacks, particularly in areas where civilians may be killed or injured, and it's time to cease the inhumane practices of kidnapping and recruiting child soldiers and this type of attack that results in loss of innocent life and accomplishes absolutely nothing.

In terms of your specific question - and I know Ambassador Kamman has discussed this already, I've seen it in the wires - Arboleda, the town, is located in a major opium poppy growing zone, and anti-narcotics elements of the Colombian National Police were the closest units to respond, to be able to respond and assist the besieged town and their fellow police. Those units were moved using all available assets, and that did include helicopters supplied by the United States. The US-supplied aircraft are generally permitted to conduct such rescue flights and search-and-rescue missions in addition to their normal counter-narcotics responsibilities, so that was very much in keeping with the standard practice.

QUESTION: But people in Colombia are asking, especially for the future for the Plan Colombia, like what is the limit between urgent or not urgent. I mean, if these helicopters are working against drugs, when they will know when it's too urgent to get into a guerrillas fight.

MR. REEKER: I think in this case - and that's the only one I can look at now because it's what happened over the weekend - those helicopters were in the right location with the forces that were able to mobilize to come to the aid of other forces in the town that was being attacked brutally by the FARC guerrilla groups. And so that was perfectly in keeping with the standard operation to go and come to the aid of them, and that's the only situation I can address at this point.

QUESTION: To follow up, did those helicopters have American pilots?

MR. REEKER: I would have to check into that for you.

QUESTION: Would you please check that?

MR. REEKER: I don't believe so, but I'll check that.

QUESTION: Is there any kind of vetting process when these helicopters are used? Who decides whether this is in keeping with standard operations? Is it referred to any American for --

MR. REEKER: I'd have to check for you, Jonathan, all the details of that program. I just didn't have time this morning and I didn't look into it that greatly. I looked into the specific question of those helicopters' use because it had come up, but I'd be happy to look into that for you.

Other things on Colombia?

QUESTION: On Cuba?

QUESTION: One more on Colombia.

MR. REEKER: Yes.

QUESTION: Do you have any comment about the four generals that are investigated by the Procuradoría in Colombia because of a massacre in 1998?

MR. REEKER: I don't. That sounds like a Colombia issue.

As of August 1, 2000, this document was also available online at http://secretary.state.gov/www/briefings/0007/000731db.html