STRATFOR
0030 GMT, 990803 - Status of Colombian "Narco-Guerrilla" Divides U.S.
Government
In recent testimony before the US House of Representatives
Subcommittee on Crime and Drugs, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)
Chief Administrator Donnie Marshall said the DEA does not believe the
Colombian guerrillas are narcotics organizations. Marshall testified
that "the DEA has not arrived at the conclusion that the FARC (Fuerzas
Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia) are drug traffickers." Marshall
did allow that both the FARC and the smaller Ejercito de Liberacion
Nacional (ELN) guerrillas are involved in the drug trade, but argued
that they fall short of a true narcotics organization. "There is no
doubt that these groups are associated with drug traffickers,
providing protection or extorting money from them. But from the point
of view of the DEA, we judge the FARC from the perspective of
enforcing the law. And at the moment we haven't come close to the
conclusion that this group has been involved as a drug trafficking
organization," said Marshall.
Marshall's testimony is directly at odds with the official views of
General Barry McCaffrey, head of the White House Office of National
Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), who recently equated the FARC with
Colombia's narcotics traffickers. McCaffrey referred to the FARC as
"narco-guerrillas," and alleged that, along with the ELN and
Colombia's right wing paramilitary forces, they rake in $600 million
annually from the drug trade.
Colombian President Andres Pastrana told the Argentine newspaper
Clarin last week that McCaffrey's assertions concerning the FARC and
their involvement in the drug trade are "ridiculous." Pastrana said
there was no evidence supporting allegations that the FARC is involved
in the drug trade. "They do charge the 'narcos' a toll," said
Pastrana, "But the FARC have always said they are interested in
eradicating illegal crops."
It appears the dispute that has divided the Colombian government and
military over dealing with the FARC (see Pastrana Continues to Fight
for Peace with FARC) has surfaced in the U.S. government as well. In
Colombia Pastrana has had to defend his actions where the FARC are
concerned against the Colombian military and other segments of
society. Since taking office last August, Pastrana has pursued what
has been characterized as a policy of accommodation. Pastrana was
criticized for allowing a large portion of Colombia to be
de-militarized, creating a safe haven for the FARC. This demilitarized
zone (DMZ) was supposed to be temporary, and the FARC were supposed to
vacate the area after 90 days. Almost nine months later, the FARC
still controls and occupies the DMZ. Colombians are demanding action,
while peace talks continue to flounder.
In the U.S., McCaffrey believes the line between guerrilla freedom
fighters and narcotics traffickers has become blurred - in fact, he is
doing his best to blur it. The DEA, on the other hand, does not see
the FARC as a bona fide narcotics organization. The question is, for
whom does McCaffrey speak? The ONDCP falls under the White House, and
coordinates counternarcotics policy between the U.S. military, the
DEA, the FBI, and the State Department. McCaffrey was the former
commander of the U.S. Southern Command, the military command
responsible for protecting American interests south of the U.S. The
State Department has repeatedly touted the alleged link between the
FARC and narcotics traffickers. McCaffrey, too, has declared an
unambiguous link. That would suggest that McCaffrey speaks for the
White House, but on which side of the fence is the U.S. Department of
Defense?
There is far more to these opposing views on the status of the FARC
than semantics and splitting hairs. Everyone admits that the FARC is
profiting from the drug trade. However, the division over the depth of
the FARC's involvement in the drug trade has implications for
relations between the U.S. and Colombia. U.S. officials are building
the case for significantly increased U.S. involvement in Colombia.
Right now, that increase comes in the form of money. Colombia is now
the third largest recipient of U.S. military aid. Pastrana, like the
FARC, is concerned that accepting this aid may risk a still greater
and more active U.S. involvement in domestic Colombian affairs.
Pastrana wants the U.S. support and assistance, but he doesn't want a
US invasion.
At the same time, it appears that not everyone in the U.S. government
is convinced about the propriety of the growing U.S. involvement in
Colombia. The question of the FARC's status and whether or not they
are drug traffickers is important since the US is currently actively
involved in anti-narcotics operations in Colombia. If the US
officially recognizes the FARC as a drug trafficking organization, it
would open the door for an expanded role in fighting Colombia's
insurgency. The DEA is unwilling to make that link. The State
Department and General McCaffrey deem the FARC narcs. That leaves the
Defense Department to weigh in, though their actions may be speaking
for them.
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