    [Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 36, Number 35 (Monday, September 4, 2000)]
    [Pages 1972-1979]
    [Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

    <R04>
    The President's News Conference With President Andres Pastrana of
    Colombia in Cartagena

    August 30, 2000

        President Pastrana. Good afternoon. On behalf of all Colombians, it
    is my great privilege to welcome to Cartagena President Clinton, who has
    been Colombia's steadfast friend and honors us enormously with his visit
    today. I would also like to welcome the distinguished members of his
    delegation, starting with the Republican Party, the Speaker of the House
    of Representatives, a very good friend of Colombia, Dennis Hastert; and
    from the Democratic Party, another great friend of ours, Senator Joseph
    Biden.
        You, Speaker Hastert, are not foreign to Colombia given that you
    have defended our democracy for many years now and have guided the
    assistance package through the House. Colombia is truly fortunate to
    have you as a friend, sir.
        Senator Biden, we're also very pleased to have you once again here
    in Cartagena. Your understanding of the very complex issues related with
    Plan Colombia, from human rights to alternative development, have been
    crucial.
        Senators Bob Graham and Mike DeWine are also with us today, two
    individuals who have led the way in the U.S.-Colombian relations,
    providing leadership in both trade and counternarcotics. They are with
    their colleague Senator Lincoln Chafee, who is visiting Colombia for the
    first time. Gentlemen, we are very honored with your presence.
        However, there is a notable absence, that hurts our hearts, of
    another friend of Colombia, Paul Coverdell. His passing last month was a
    deeply-felt loss, and I cannot imagine how we would have gotten this far
    without him. We miss him, but what he did so bravely will allow us to--
    [inaudible].
        I would also like to welcome our good friends from the House of
    Representatives Congressmen Douglas Bereuter, William Delahunt, Sam
    Farr, Porter Goss, Ruben Hinojosa, and Jim Moran. Each, in your own way,
    have worked for popular changes for our country.

    [[Page 1973]]

        I'd also like to welcome the members of the President's Cabinet:
    Secretary of State Madeleine Albright and Attorney General Janet Reno,
    leaders of the highest order who have visited us here before. You have
    taken the cause of burdensharing in the war on illegal drugs across the
    globe.
        The same is true for General McCaffrey, who has worked tirelessly
    through very many complicated details of our bilateral strategy. And
    we're also proud to have with us Sandy Berger, National Security
    Adviser, and John Podesta, the White House Chief of Staff.
        Two years ago I traveled to Washington with the high hopes of
    forming a new partnership with the United States. Today, it is clear, we
    have accomplished this gesture beyond our expectations. Today, there
    exists between our two countries a much closer commitment than at any
    other time in our history.
        The United States Government and Congress have offered significant
    assistance to Plan Colombia, which is my government's strategy for
    national recovery. This package has been developed by Colombians, has
    been planned by Colombians, has been presented to the rest of the world
    by Colombians, and will be implemented by Colombia.
        The very important resources support many of the central elements of
    the plan, including support of political negotiation, alternative
    developments for subsistent farmers, the battle against drugs, the
    strengthening of justice, humanitarian assistance, and the protection of
    human rights. The U.S. assistance is a recognition that the menace of
    illegal drugs is truly international and, therefore, requires a
    concerted global response.
        We Colombians must address the many challenges our nation faces at
    this moment in history. We know that the solutions must be our own.
    Equally important is the understanding that Colombia's armed conflict
    must be solved by political means. We have asked the United States and
    the international community to provide us with new tools and additional
    resources to build the Colombia of the 21st century. We are grateful for
    the assistance you have provided.
        Many times over the past decades, Colombians have felt alone in
    bearing the burden of the international drug war. Undoubtedly, this is
    an international presence, and your presence here today, Mr. President,
    as a representative of the American people, is a commitment that leads
    us to know that we're no longer isolated in this struggle.
        I'm also pleased we have had the opportunity today to discuss our
    bilateral economic agenda. Peace in Colombia is tied to prosperity, to
    economic growth, and new opportunities for all our people, and this
    includes expanding bilateral trade.
        I believe the time has come to move towards an agreement that allows
    better access for Colombian products into the U.S. markets. I am
    convinced that, at the end of the day, trade and investment will do more
    for Colombia and will be more decisive instruments in the battle against
    drugs given that they will have a sustainable impact for future
    generations and will contribute to a more prosperous Colombia.
        Today is indeed an historic occasion. It marks a decisive moment in
    a time when two nations join forces to attain common objectives. I have
    no doubt, ladies and gentlemen, that we have the right policies and that
    we will be implementing them in the right way and with the right
    partners.
        Finally, I'd like to say that Colombia is most fortunate to have
    friends as President Clinton, who has earned admiration around the world
    for his commitment to peace in Northern Ireland, in the Middle East,
    Africa, and today here in Colombia. His legacy as one of his
    generation's most dedicated peacemakers is assured.
        And now it is my privilege to invite the President of the United
    States to take over the microphone and the podium.
        President Clinton. First, I want to thank President Pastrana,
    members of his government, and legislative leaders who have welcomed us
    so warmly here today. I'd also like to thank the members of the
    Colombian media who are responsible for the opportunity I had last night
    to address the people of Colombia about the commitment of the United
    States for the success of your democracy.
        I'm pleased to be here with all the people the President mentioned:
    Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert, Senator Joe Biden, other Members of
    Congress and the Cabinet

    [[Page 1974]]

    and the White House, and I want to thank you, Mr. President, for your
    reference to Senator Coverdell, who was a friend of Colombia and a
    friend of our common efforts.
        Together we come here to say that the United States--executive and
    Congress, Republican and Democrat, House and Senate--stand with Colombia
    in its fight for democracy.
        In our meetings, I had a chance to thank President Pastrana for his
    truly courageous leadership, for a peaceful, prosperous, democratic
    country free of narcotrafficking. He has pursued this vision fearlessly,
    as has so many others. The 11 widows of those who gave their lives for
    the rule of law and human rights and a better future that we met earlier
    today are the most eloquent testimony of it.
        The United States has a strong interest in Colombia, in your
    economic recovery of the country, in the conservation of your democracy,
    in the protection of human rights for the people of Colombia, and in
    your pursuit of peace, security, stability, not only for Colombia but
    for the whole region and, undoubtedly, in reducing the international
    drug trade.
        Meeting those objectives, for us, is what Plan Colombia is all
    about. It takes aim at all the interwoven challenges facing Colombia
    both in the economy and in the civil conflict, fighting drugs, defending
    human rights, and deepening democracy. And as President Pastrana said,
    it is Plan Colombia: a plan made by the leaders of Colombia for the
    people and future of Colombia.
        Our support of that plan includes a tenfold increase for social and
    economic development to help farmers grow legal crops, to train security
    forces to protect human rights, to help more Colombians find justice by
    extending access to the courts. This afternoon I will visit a new casa
    de justicia here in Cartagena that does just that. We've also made clear
    our confidence in President Pastrana's economic approach, and we're
    working closely with the international financial institutions to
    encourage their support of the Colombian economy.
        Our assistance also makes a substantial investment in Colombia's
    counterdrug efforts. Drug trafficking breeds violence, breeds
    corruption, and drives away the jobs that could help to heal this
    country's divisions. It also supplies most of the cocaine and much of
    the heroin to the United States. Our assistance will enhance the ability
    of Colombian security forces to eradicate illegal crops, destroy drug
    labs, stop drug shipments before they leave Colombia.
        Let me make one point very clear: This assistance is for fighting
    drugs, not waging war. The civil conflict and the drug trade go hand in
    hand to cause great misery for the people of Colombia: 2,500 kidnappings
    in the last year alone; over the last 10 years 35,000 Colombian citizens
    have lost their lives; 1 million have been made homeless. Our program is
    antidrugs and propeace.
        Forty years of fighting has brought neither side closer to military
    victory. The President himself has said that over and over. Counterdrug
    battalions will not change that, and that is not their purpose. Their
    purpose is to reduce the drug trade that aggravates every problem
    Colombia faces and exports chaos to the world, including the United
    States.
        I reject the idea that we must choose between supporting peace or
    fighting drugs. We can do both; indeed, to succeed, we must do both. I
    reaffirmed to the President our support for the peace process. The
    people of Colombia have suffered long enough, especially in the area of
    human rights. No good cause has ever been advanced by killing or
    kidnapping civilians or by colluding with those who do. Insurgents and
    paramilitaries alike must end all human rights abuses, as must the
    security forces themselves.
        The President is doing his part to hold the military accountable,
    and today we discussed his efforts to accelerate efforts to investigate,
    prosecute, and punish all offenders, whoever they may be.
        What happens in Colombia will affect its citizens and this entire
    region for a very long time to come. There is a lot riding on this
    President and this Plan Colombia. We are proud to stand with our friend
    and our neighbor as it fights for peace, freedom, and democracy, for
    prosperity, human rights, and justice, and for a drug-free future. All
    these things should be the right of all Colombians.
        Thank you.

    [[Page 1975]]

    [At this point, Speaker of the House of Representatives J. Dennis
    Hastert and Senator Joseph R. Biden, Jr., members of the U.S.
    delegation, made brief remarks.]

        President Pastrana. Let us begin with the round of questions.

    Colombia-U.S. Trade

        Q. President Clinton, the Colombian Government has been working in
    order to obtain tariff benefits with the United States. Mr. President,
    with what do you commit yourself in order to open the way so that
    Colombia will benefit from benefits which are granted to other
    countries? And specifically, will the treaty that benefits the Colombian
    textile makers, will it be extended?
        President Clinton. Well, the short answer is I hope so. But if I
    could, let me explain this issue not only to the Colombian press but to
    the American press, because it hasn't received a lot of attention.
        We passed a very important bill this year to increase our trade with
    Africa, because we thought we had not done enough. And we have many
    African-Americans in the United States, as you do have citizens of
    African descent in Colombia and all over the eastern part of South
    America. In that bill, we also had legislation to give more duty-free
    access to goods from the Caribbean Basin, in the Caribbean. We did it
    because when we passed the NAFTA trade agreement back in 1993,
    benefiting our trade with Mexico enormously, it had the unintended
    consequence of putting a big burden on the Caribbean nations, mostly the
    little island nations, and it took us all this time to correct it.
        Now, we know that this legislation could have severe unintended
    consequences on Colombia in ways that would undermine the impact of Plan
    Colombia. So Senator Graham, who is here on this delegation, and Senator
    DeWine and perhaps others who are here have sponsored a bill which would
    for one year, on the textile front, in effect, treat the Colombian
    textiles in the same way as those from the Caribbean island nations and
    the Central American nations. And that would prevent a mass migration of
    jobs out of Colombia, and it would give the next President and the new
    Congress a full year to debate what the next step in the economic
    integration of our region should be.
        So I will say, I will tell you the exact same thing I told the
    President and the Government inside. We are a couple of months away from
    an election. The Congress will not be in session much longer. But I
    think this should be done. The Speaker thinks it should be done. And we
    don't want the Congress to be in a position of having--or the
    administration either--of having to come up with over $1 billion in aid
    that is partly designed to restore the Colombian economy and to move
    people out of coca production into legitimate earnings and then turn
    around and take the economic benefits away that were there before we
    started.
        So it's a problem. There is a narrow legislative fix, which Senator
    Graham and others, Senator DeWine and others, have proposed, which--for
    the benefit of the American press--would not increase textile imports
    into our country over and above what they will be anyway over the next
    year but would keep massive migration of jobs from Colombia to other
    places in the Caribbean region from occurring. That's basically what
    Senator Graham's trying to do.
        So I just--because it's so close to the end of the session, I wish I
    could promise you that this will happen. I cannot promise you it will
    happen. All I can tell you is I will try, and I hope we can do it.

    Plan Colombia

        Q. President Clinton, 10 years ago President Bush visited here with
    the same purpose as yours. And in the intervening years, the flow of
    drugs to the United States illegally has only increased. What makes you
    believe this new U.S. aid package, although it be part of a broader
    Colombian plan, can reverse that trend without drawing U.S. troops into
    a shooting war here?
        President Clinton. Well, first of all, I think that there's a lot of
    evidence that the flow of drugs out of Colombia, per se, has increased,
    as Senator Biden said, because efforts in Bolivia and Peru and several
    other places have been relatively successful. But the overall problem in
    the United States is abating. Unfortunately, it's getting worse in some
    other parts of the world.

    [[Page 1976]]

        And I give a lot of credit to General McCaffrey, to the Attorney
    General, to the Secretary of State, and others. We have worked very hard
    on this. And I give a lot of credit to the Congress, including the
    majority party in Congress. There's been an enormous effort over the
    last 5 years to intensify our efforts to reduce demand in the United
    States and to more effectively deal with supply. So that's the first
    thing I would say. We have some evidence that we can succeed.
        The second thing I would say is a condition of this aid is that we
    are not going to get into a shooting war. This is not Vietnam; neither
    is it Yankee imperialism. Those are the two false charges that have been
    hurled against Plan Colombia. You have a perfect right to question
    whether you think it will work or whether you think we've properly
    distributed the resources. But I can assure you--a lot of the opposition
    to this plan is coming from people who are afraid it will work. So that
    won't happen.
        The third thing you asked me--I believe this will work because I
    think that this President and this government are willing to take the
    risks necessary to make it work. I think that they're working on
    developing military forces and police forces that both respect human
    rights and know they'll be held accountable for abuses and are honest
    and competent enough to be effective in this battle if the rest of us
    will give them the resources, support, and training to do it on a level
    that, at least in our experience--you heard Senator Biden, he's been in
    the Senate a long time--we have never seen this before at this level in
    Colombia.
        And the fact that the President understands, that he's willing to do
    something--and I hope the people of Colombia will understand it and be
    patient with him. He's trying to do two things that no one's ever tried
    to do at once. But without it, I don't think either problem can be
    solved. He's trying to fight the narcotrafficking and find a way to have
    a diplomatic solution to the civil unrest that has dogged Colombia for
    40 years. It is a massive undertaking.
        Anyway, to summarize, I believe this will work, number one, because
    we have some evidence that we can make a difference, in the last 5
    years; number two, because we have an enormously courageous and I think
    thoughtful President and plan and team here committed to it; and number
    three, there won't be American involvement in a shooting war because
    they don't want it and because we don't want it, because what we have to
    do is to empower them and then, if there are problems on their borders,
    to empower their neighbors to solve this with our support.
        President Pastrana. I think that the situation today is totally
    different from the situation 10 years ago, first of all, because we have
    an integral program to fight against drug trafficking--this is something
    we did not have before--and this issue was approached only from the
    police standpoint. But today, for the first time, we are investing in
    the people.
        Plan Colombia, as we have discussed with President Clinton, is not a
    plan for war. It's a plan for peace. It's a social plan. Seventy-five
    percent of Plan Colombia will go to social investment, to capacity-
    building, alternative development. And this is why, for the first time,
    what we now see is a comprehensive policy so as not to work only from
    one side but to see how, in an integral way, you can better put an end
    to the drug issue.
        This is why, in addition to Plan Colombia, we're now implementing
    Impresa Colombia, which means that all the social resources of the
    Colombian states of $4 or 5 billion that were contributing to Plan
    Colombia, we're going to allocate it to earmark these resources. They'll
    be going to the poorest regions, and we'll be investing in
    infrastructure, alternative development, agricultural policies, social
    investment, particularly in those areas which are now being affected by
    violence and civil unrest.
        Only a year ago, in Colombia simply because--with the assistance of
    Speaker Hastert and other Democrat and Republican Senators, the U.S. had
    given us $230 million for military equipment. And last year we had the
    largest U.S. investment in Colombia. Last year it was $230 million
    invested in helicopters, and these went to the police. And today, a
    large amount will be invested only in the social area. So this means
    that $250 million will be invested in the people, in our social
    development, and the promotion and

    [[Page 1977]]

    strengthening of human rights and alternative development.
        And this is why I would like to highlight that for the first time
    the United States is investing not only--because it's not only military
    assistance--and I want to be very clear. The U.S. assistance is an
    assistance to fight against drug trafficking, and for this reason I say
    today that we Colombians must feel very pleased to see that this large
    amount--over $250 million--will be invested in the marginal areas, in
    the poorest areas in Colombia.
        President Clinton. Could I just follow up and just make one other
    point on this, again, just because I think it's important that what we
    do be clearly understood? We have received some criticism in the United
    States from people who say, well, a majority of the money we're giving
    is for military or law enforcement purposes. Even though the money we
    give, about $300 million, for boosting government capacity and
    alternative economic development is a tenfold increase over what we were
    giving before, it is true that a majority of our assistance is for
    increasing the capacity of the Colombia people to fight the drug war.
    But it is important to recognize that that is true largely because we
    have a unique ability to give those tools to the Colombian forces.
        And I want to reiterate what President Pastrana said, because this
    is what he said to me when he asked us to do this. He said, ``I promise
    you three-quarters of the total investment of the plan will be for
    nonmilitary, non-law-enforcement things: to build government capacity,
    to develop the economic and social capacities of the country.''
        And so the American aid package needs to be seen in the larger
    context. And I want to thank--the United Nations has given money to
    this; Spain has given money; Norway has given money; Japan has given
    money; the international financial institutions--and the Government of
    Colombia is going to contribute a majority of the $7.5 billion. And
    anyone within the sound of my voice--we still need another billion or
    billion and a half, and we would be glad to have some more help.
    [Laughter] Thank you very much.
        Q. President Clinton, is there a specific situation in which the
    U.S. Government might consider perhaps giving Colombia military support
    to fight the guerrillas?
        President Clinton. Our involvement is laid out in the terms of Plan
    Colombia. The President has developed this plan with his team, and it
    does not contemplate that. And so, the answer is no. That's not
    authorized by what we did.
        What we want to do is to increase the capacity of the Colombian
    Government to fight the narcotraffickers and, in so doing, to reduce
    anyone else's income from illegal drug trade and increase the leverage
    that the President has to find a peaceful resolution of the civil
    conflict. And that is his policy, not my policy. I'm supporting his
    policy.
        President Pastrana. Once again, in order to make it very clear,
    while Andres Pastrana is the President of Colombia, we will not have a
    foreign military intervention in Colombia.

    Plan Colombia and Human Rights

        Q. Mr. President, several Democratic lawmakers and human rights
    organizations have criticized you for waiving six conditions, the
    majority on human rights, in order to release the $1.3 billion for this
    plan. How do you reconcile the waiver with your policy of protecting
    human rights around the world? And President Pastrana, how long will it
    take you to meet those conditions, and are they realistic?
        President Clinton. First of all, let me say why I did the waiver and
    begin by saying I support strongly human rights, and I support the human
    rights provisions of Plan Colombia or, if you will, the human rights
    requirements for disbursing the aid under Plan Colombia. But there is a
    reason Congress gave me waiver authority here. Not because they didn't
    care about human rights, but because they knew that President Pastrana
    was committed to human rights. He was committed to human rights before
    he was President of Colombia. He was committed to human rights before he
    thought of Plan Colombia and before he ever asked us to help. And I
    would remind you that he has been the victim of perhaps the most severe
    human rights abuse of all.
        So the Congress gave me the waiver authority because they knew there
    was no way,

    [[Page 1978]]

    between the time that they appropriated the money and we needed to spend
    it, that he could meet every criteria in the legislation, but that if I
    thought he was committed to doing so and acting in good faith, I could
    give a waiver so we wouldn't wait another year.
        I don't think anyone seriously believes that either the guerrillas
    or the narcotraffickers will be more careful with human rights than this
    President. And so creating another year of vacuum in which innocent
    people can be crushed I think would be a terrible mistake.
        On the other hand, you heard what Joe Biden said. If there is to be
    continued support from the Congress and the next President, then
    Colombia must meet the requirements of the law. And the President said
    to me repeatedly that--and he just said publicly that he was. I think I
    should let him address that.
        President Pastrana. As I have told President Clinton and many of my
    colleagues--journalists, the issue of human rights is not imposed on us
    by the U.S. Government or by President Clinton. It is the first
    commitment of the Colombian government of President Pastrana to fight
    against the violation of human rights.
        As of the moment when we proposed Plan Colombia, as I've had the
    opportunity of telling several of you, we knew that the eyes of the
    world would be focusing on our country and particularly regarding the
    issue of human rights.
        But we're also asking the rest of the world to understand the
    complexity of the problems that we have in our country. And many times
    it's difficult for people to understand that we have the illegal defense
    groups or the guerrilla drugtrafficking common criminals. But likewise,
    I think that we have made a lot of headway. We have greater alertness on
    the part of the members of our military forces, and we are demanding the
    insurgents and the illegal defense groups to better understand that they
    have to cooperate in terms of not violating human rights. And hopefully,
    the first agreements to be made in the negotiation peace talks will be
    related with international humanitarian law and human rights, so as to
    exclude the civil population and minor combatants from this conflict.
    Hopefully, we'll be able to arrive at this agreement.
        And in addition, we've done a lot also on our part. We have passed
    the new criminal code; and issues which are very sensitive--such as
    forced disappearance, genocide, torture--will be dealt with by civil
    courts; and we have reformed the criminal and military code--we devoted
    a lot of years to this reform, but today it's a fact--and finally, the
    Government itself, via the Minister of Defense, has asked for special
    powers by Congress so as to reform our military forces--and these powers
    will expire in the future weeks--and this will allow us to get rid of
    people who are with the military and that might be linked to any human
    rights violation issues. And it's going to be very important, because in
    the past our laws did not allow us to do this.
        And we gave this as a signal to the rest of the world. The Vice
    President of Colombia is the person in charge of this issue of human
    rights. Never before in Colombia has the Vice President and the Vice
    President's office been in charge of this very important topic in order
    to promote all our policies regarding human rights.
        And I think that many of the proposals made by Congress in order to
    give Colombia certification for the purposes of Plan Colombia will be
    achieved in the future weeks. And hopefully, with these reforms that I
    have mentioned, we'll make headway. But this is a commitment of our
    Government, and we will support, of course, human rights.

    Plan Colombia and Neighboring Countries

        President Clinton. Because I expect this is my last trip here before
    the end of my term, there's one point I did not make in my opening
    statement that I should have. On behalf of the President and the people
    of Colombia, I would like to make a personal plea to the neighbors of
    Colombia and the leaders of those neighboring states--with whom I have
    worked closely for years, most of them--to be strongly supportive of
    President Pastrana and Plan Colombia.
        There have been many reports that others are reluctant in Latin
    America to support this

    [[Page 1979]]

    for fear that the Plan Colombia, as it succeeds, will cause the problem
    to spill over the borders into other states. Now, let's be candid: If
    it's successful, some of that will happen. But we have funds in Plan
    Colombia, in the American portion of it, that can be used, a substantial
    amount of money, to help other countries deal with these problems at the
    borders right when they start.
        And I would ask the neighbors of Colombia to consider the
    alternative. If you really say Colombia can't attack this in an
    aggressive way because there will be some negative consequences on our
    border, the logical conclusion is that all the cancer of
    narcotrafficking and lawless violence in this entire vast continent
    should rest on the shoulders and burden the children of this one nation.
    And that's just not right.
        And so, I understand the reluctance of the leaders of other
    countries to embrace this. It's a frightening prospect to take on this.
    But this man, more than once, has risked his life to do it. So I just
    want to assure the other countries the United States will not abandon
    you. We actually have specific provisions in this bill to provide
    assistance to neighboring countries that suffer adversely because of the
    disruptions. But this is something that the democratic leaders of this
    continent should do together, arm in arm, hand in hand. We will be as
    supportive as we can, but in the end, they'll have to do it together in
    order to succeed.
        And again, Mr. President, I thank you, and I want to thank the
    leaders of our Congress from the bottom of my heart for doing what I
    think is a good thing for America to do. Thank you, sir.

     Note:  The President's 193d news conference began at 3:05 p.m. in la
    Casa de Huespedes. In his remarks, the President referred to NAFTA, the
    North American Free Trade Agreement. President Pastrana referred to Vice
    President Lemas Gustavo Bell of Colombia. President Pastrana spoke in
    Spanish, and his remarks were translated by an interpreter. The
    transcript released by the Office of the Press Secretary also included
    the remarks of Senator Biden and Speaker Hastert. A portion of the
    President's remarks could not be verified because the tape was
    incomplete.