U.S. Expects a Wider War on Two Fronts in Colombia

By Christopher Marquis

April 28, 2002

WASHINGTON, April 27 - With elections in Colombia a month away, the Bush administration expects the country's next president to take a harder line in the battle against guerrillas and narcotics traffickers and dedicate more resources to the fight, administration officials say.

The departure of President Andrés Pastrana, who was thwarted in his main goal of negotiating a peace deal with the rebels, opens the door for a more aggressive leader as Colombians clamor for security, the officials say.

The United States is already preparing for a widening war in Colombia, where the government has been battling two leftist insurgencies with ties to drug trafficking and a right-wing paramilitary organization widely accused of human rights abuses tolerated by the Colombian military.

The Bush administration has asked Congress to let Colombians use American-trained soldiers and equipment against the guerrillas, arguing that it is not feasible to limit American assistance to the fight against drugs.

It was unclear whether the officials were expressing a hope for a tougher fight against the rebels and drug traffickers, or essentially demanding that Colombia commit to the fight.

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