October 29, 2000

Plan Colombia Lacks International Support

by Garry Leech

While President Clinton was desperately trying to get the Middle-East peace process back on track last week, his plan for war in Colombia was being undermined from all sides. The European Union (EU) recently announced it would only give Colombia $321 million for social and economic development--less than a third of the amount Washington and Bogotá were hoping for--because of reservations regarding the U.S. emphasis on a military solution to Colombia's problems.

Meanwhile, Colombia's neighbors have refused to endorse the military component of Plan Colombia for fears it will destabilize the region by forcing guerrillas, drug production and refugees to flee to their countries. And finally, a peace conference held recently in San José, Costa Rica ended with a declaration from Colombian and international non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and leaders of the rebel National Liberation Army (ELN) condemning the militaristic nature of Plan Colombia.

Two weeks ago, more than 100 people were killed in renewed fighting between Israelis and Palestinians in the occupied territories and President Clinton immediately dropped everything to fly to the region in an attempt to negotiate an end to the hostilities. In Colombia last week, more than 250 people were killed in fighting between the Colombian army, guerrillas and the paramilitaries. Many of those killed were civilians caught in the middle of the violence, especially in the southern province of Putumayo where guerrillas and paramilitaries have erected roadblocks that have isolated the region and resulted in food and water shortages.

But where was Clinton? Evidently, peace in Colombia is not as important to Washington as peace in the Middle-East. In his first and only visit to Colombia on August 30, Clinton met with Colombian President Andrés Pastrana to symbolically deliver $860 million in aid--80 percent of which is going to the Colombian military. There was no talk of peace, only of waging more war (see, Protestors Denounce Clinton's Visit to Colombia).

The militaristic nature of U.S. policy in Colombia has not gone unnoticed by the international community. Last week, the EU announced that it would provide $321 million of aid to Colombia for social and economic development programs. But Washington and Bogotá had hoped for $1 billion from Europe (see, Plan Colombia: A Closer Look). Furthermore, most of the EU aid will not go to the Colombian government, it will be administered by NGOs working for human rights and economic development. The reason is Europe's reluctance to be associated with Plan Colombia's militaristic centerpiece: the U.S. aid package. Most European countries, like much of Colombian civil society, view Colombia's problems as humanitarian, social and economic in nature.

The U.S. also faced strong criticism at the Defense Ministers Summit held in Manaus, Brazil last week, which was attended by U.S. Secretary of Defense, William Cohen, and the defense ministers of several South American nations. Colombia's neighbors, especially Venezuela, Ecuador and Panama, have all criticized the militaristic nature of Plan Colombia, fearing it will destabilize the region by forcing guerrillas, drug production and refugees to flee to neighboring countries.

In Manaus, Deputy Undersecretary of Defense James Bodner strongly criticized Colombia's neighbors for their lack of support for U.S. involvement in Colombia and declared that the U.S. would go it alone if necessary. A Brazilian representative at the summit, Joao Herrmann Neto of Brazil's House Foreign Relations Committee, said that Latin American ministers were offended by the U.S. attitude and described Bodner's comments as "typical American superiority."

It is not only European and South American governments that oppose Plan Colombia, much of Colombian civil society have voiced objections to the U.S. military aid package. At the conclusion of a peace conference held 10 days ago in San José, Costa Rica, representatives from more than 100 international and Colombian NGOs, along with leaders of the ELN, Colombia's second-largest guerrilla force, issued a statement condemning Plan Colombia's emphasis on a military solution to Colombia's problems.

According to Jorge Rojas, leader of a coalition of NGOs known as Peace Colombia,"It is a plan imposed on our reality, responding more to the anti-drug agenda of the United States than to the peace agenda to which the Colombian people are committed." Many NGOs, including the International Red Cross and World Vision, have refused to accept any aid money that is tied to Plan Colombia. These NGOs do not wish to be associated with an aid package in which 80 percent of the money is going to the Colombian military. Also, they believe their workers on the ground in Colombia will be at risk because of guerrilla threats to target any group that legitimizes Plan Colombia by accepting U.S. aid.

Clinton has failed to address the concerns of his European allies, Latin American governments and, most importantly, the Colombian people. In sharp contrast to the inclusive nature of Washington's peace policies in the Middle-East and Northern Ireland, the Clinton Administration has displayed its imperialistic tendencies in Colombia by implementing yet another military intervention in its "own backyard."

One would think that Clinton could have spent at least one day trying to get the stalled Colombian peace process back on track after more than 250 Colombians were killed in the escalation of violence that has directly resulted from Plan Colombia. But then the U.S. has never shown a willingness to listen to international opinion when it comes to Latin America, even when that opinion originates from the people who are directly victimized by U.S. policies.

This article originally appeared in Colombia Report, an online journal that was published by the Information Network of the Americas (INOTA).

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