May
2000May
2000CONTACT YOUR SENATORS AND URGE THEM TO OPPOSE MILITARY AID TO COLOMBIA.
On May 9, the Senate appropriations committee approved the U.S. aid package to Colombia. The aid package will now be considered in the full Senate as early as Tuesday, May 16.
Some improvements were made in the Senate version of the bill. The overall package was cut down from $1.6 billion to $1.142 billion, $394 million of which is designated for other countries or U.S. agencies. The Senate version reduced the amount spent on military assistance, strengthened human rights conditions, increased congressional oversight, and included additional funds for human rights protection and civilian initiatives for peace. Even with these changes, the thrust of the package remains the same, it will send large amounts of military assistance to an abusive army, it will support ineffective drug policies, and it will draw the United States further into an unwinnable counterinsurgency war.
In the Appropriations Committee on May 9, many Senators raised surprisingly strong concerns about the intent of the package. In addition, Senator Gorton of Washington State offered an amendment to eliminate almost $800 million from the package. Senators Gorton (R-WA), Domenici (R-NM), Burns (R-MT), Craig (R-ID), Leahy (D-VT), Harkin (D-IA), Mikulski (D-MD), Kohl (D-WI), Murray (D-WA), Durbin (D-IL) and Gregg (R-NH) voted for Gorton's amendment, but it was ultimately defeated 15 - 11.
The U.S. aid package will now go to a vote by the full Senate. Senator Wellstone will offer an amendment to shift funds from Colombian military aid to drug treatment at home.
As indicated in yesterday's vote, there is skepticism about the U.S. aid package, constituents CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE and defeat the military portion of the package by contacting their Senators. CALL YOUR SENATORS and urge them to oppose all military aid to Colombia, support the Wellstone or any other amendment to shift aid from military assistance, increase funds for the internally displaced, and retain human rights conditions.
For up-to-date info on the U.S. aid package including details on the dollar amounts included in Senate version of the bill, visit the Center for International Policy's webpage.
On January 11, 2000, the Clinton administration introduced a $1.3 billion aid package to Colombia, the majority of which was targeted for the Colombian military, a military with a notorious human rights record. On Thursday, March 30th, the full House of Representatives approved the 2000 emergency supplemental aid package (HR 3908), which included $1.7 billion in aid for Colombia and surrounding countries. Despite strong efforts by some Representatives to cut the money designated for military aid to Colombia, the supplemental package emerged with the Colombia package intact and without strong human rights conditions on aid for the Colombian military. The Senate Republican leadership then delayed the package because of budget concerns and decided to consider it during the current appropriations process.
Oppose the portion of the supplemental aid package that provides military aid to Colombia;
Support Senator Wellstone's amendment that shifts funds for military assistance to demand reduction, drug prevention and treatment programs in the United States and any other positive amendments that cut or shift military assistance to Colombia;
Support amendments that increase humanitarian assistance for Colombia's estimated 1.8 million internally displaced persons;
Retain strong human rights conditions already included in the bill;
SPEAK-OUT! The more senators that speak out during the debate in the Senate, the better. Please ask your senators to share their concerns regarding human rights in Colombia with the Senate during the vote.
This aid package will not only pour hundreds of millions of dollars into the most abusive military in the Western Hemisphere, but it will almost certainly destabilize fragile peace negotiations and undermine support of a negotiated settlement.
To avoid getting the United States more deeply involved with Colombia's infamous armed forces, I ask you to oppose aid to the Colombian army due to human rights concerns, especially army links at a regional and local level to brutal paramilitary forces.
Instead, I urge you to support a substantial positive aid package for Colombia, including: humanitarian relief for people displaced by violence; crop substitution programs for small farmers to switch from coca to legal crops; economic assistance; programs to strengthen Colombian government investigations into human rights violations and drug trafficking; aid for civil society efforts for human rights and peace.
Finally, because the United States "War on Drugs" is one that must be fought at home, I ask you to increase funding for drug treatment and prevention programs here in our own country.
Call the U.S. Capitol switchboard: 202-224-3121 Or look up your members of Congress on the Internet: www.house.gov or www.senate.gov
For more information contact: Latin America Working Group: (202) 546-7010, lawg@lawg.org
U.S. Colombia/Coordinating Office (202) 232-8090, agiffen@igc.org
Alison Giffen
Director
U.S./Colombia Coordinating Office
Phone: 202-232-8090
Fax: 202-232-8092
Suite 200 1630 Connecticut Ave. NW
Washington D.C. 20009
agiffen@igc.org
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