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Colombia Poses Dilemma for U.S. War on Terrorism

Thu Apr 14, 8:05 AM ET

By Adam Entous

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A day before the Sept. 11 attacks that triggered the war on terrorism, President Bush cracked down hard on a far-right paramilitary army blamed for some of the worst atrocities in the longest-running conflict in the Americas.

A U.S. order branded the group, known as the United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia, a "foreign terrorist organization," making it a crime to provide it "material support."

Three-and-a-half years after the Sept. 10, 2001 order, the Colombian government wants the United States to help demobilize the group, which Bush had vowed to rout like al Qaeda and which has been in peace talks with the Colombian government.

Under the program, members of the group who agree to give up a life of narco-terrorism could be eligible to receive U.S.-funded job training and Colombian-paid stipends.

But congressional aides and terrorism experts say the laws that Bush has used to fight the terror groups are now keeping him from fully supporting the demobilization process which could help bring peace to Colombia. U.S. diplomats and State Department officials have told lawmakers they even fear they could face criminal charges for breaching the "material support" ban.

"They're so fearful that someone is going to say, 'You're supporting a terrorist group,"' said a senior Republican congressional aide. "Our policy is self-defeating."

What happens in Colombia could create a legal precedent -- defining when a terrorist is no longer a terrorist -- that could be applied to future efforts to disarm other "foreign terrorist organizations" elsewhere, like Hamas and Hizbollah.

After a yearlong internal debate and two secret Justice Department legal opinions, Bush has quietly approved the first cash installment of $1.75 million in support of the Colombian demobilization program -- a minuscule amount compared to the more than $3 billion that Washington has spent so far to help Colombia battle narco-terrorism.

Officials say that money will be released to Colombia within weeks, but because of legal concerns, its use will be restricted to tracking, monitoring and screening members of the paramilitaries who agree to give up their arms.

The Bush administration has put on hold another $1.25 million in "direct assistance" to fund education and job training for ex-combatants.

"There you're talking about spending money on demobilized people themselves, which comes very close to (the question of) are you providing 'material support' to the organization... Suppose they go back?" a Bush administration official said.

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I don't care whether or not someone is making the claim of our supporting a terrorist organization or not (support ban), because everyone knows that we HAVE done so many times over.....

....my concern about this article is WHY THE F would we even consider spending ANY US money to rehab or vocationally educate or train or job place ANY of these people??

Any such money should stay in the US to go to our education system and our job market first, in my opinion.


I don't "get it". It makes no sense.

c-

Makes all the sense in the world, During the 1970´s the US supported the militar dictators in latin america cause otherwise the region might have gone into socialism. After this, the US kept the financial support cause they have to keep control in the region, no matter what the program is, if you are the world leader you have to be involved with other countries with less power, so you can have some control in their destinations.
(By the way I live in Ecuador, the border north is Colombia, and english is not my native language, I´m still learning.)