InfoBrief- April 21, 2003

InfoBrief is a weekly news summary of events in the U.S. and Colombia produced and distributed by the U.S. Office on Colombia. Colombia This Week is reproduced with the kind permission of the ABColombia Group in London. Other sources include U.S. and Latin American newspapers, and reports from non-profit and grassroots groups. The content does not necessarily reflect the views of the U.S. Office on Colombia. If you would like to receive InfoBrief please contact neil_jeffery@usofficeoncolombia.org indicating why you would be interested in this weekly news service.

U.S. Current Affairs & Media

* White House to Nominate New Ambassador to Colombia On April 16 President Bush announced his intention to nominate William Wood to serve as U.S. Ambassador to Colombia. Mr. Wood has previously held the positions of Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau for International Organization Affairs and Director of the Washington Office of the U.S. Mission to the United Nations.

* Protesters Blame Coca-Cola for Paramilitary Attacks on Colombian Union Approximately 40 people protested outside the Coca-Cola shareholders meeting in Houston on April 16 because they believe that plant managers in Colombia arranged for paramilitary groups to harass and assassinate union members. The protest was sponsored by the Campaign to Stop Killer Coke, which includes the United Steelworkers of America, the International Labor Rights Fund and the Colombian labor union Sinaltrainal. Coca-Cola’s General Counsel responded that the charges are false and that the company provides security measures to union leaders.

* Washington Times Warns of Potential “Mission Impossible” in Colombia In an April 15 editorial, the Washington Times warned that “the troubles in Colombia may be escalating beyond the priority level that Washington has assigned them.” The editorial asserts that if the Bush Administration does not coordinate a regional response to the violence, offer additional training to security forces and support rural development in Colombia, “the Americans in that country may soon be involved in a mission impossible.”

* Current Issue of NACLA Examines Colombia and U.S. Policy The March/April edition of the NACLA Report on the Americas focuses on “Crisis and Change: Colombia and Brazil.” Featured articles include “Washington’s ‘New War’ in Colombia: The War on Drugs Meets the War on Terror,” by Adam Isacson, and “The Battle for Colombia’s ‘Little Sarajevo,’” in which Garry Leach reports on his recent trip to Arauca province. More information is online at www.nacla.org.

Upcoming Events and Seminars in the U.S.

* On April 25 and 26, Chicagoans for a Peaceful Colombia will host a conference entitled “Natural Resource Exploitation and the Survival of Afro-Colombians” at the Lincoln Park campus of DePaul University in Chicago. More information is available at www.chicagoans.net.

* The Colombia Support Network (CSN) is now distributing the 58-minute documentary “Plan Colombia: Cashing in on the Drug-War Failure.” It is available from CSN for $20.00 plus $2.00 shipping. For more information contact CSN at (608) 257-8753, csn@igc.org, or www.colombiasupport.net.

Colombia This Week is reproduced with the kind permission of the ABColombia Group in London

Colombia This Week editing date: 04/14/03

‘Colombia This Week’ (CTW) will resume production in May. We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused.

Colombia This Week is a news summary produced and distributed by ABColombia Group. Sources include daily Colombian, US, European and Latin American newspapers, and reports from non-governmental organisations and the UN System. The content does not necessarily reflect the views of the ABColombia Group.

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