-Caveat Lector- AP - January 18, 2001 U.S. general: Military aid won't hurt Colombian civilians With the United States on the verge of sending helicopter gunships into Colombia's war, a top U.S. military commander expressed faith that Colombian troops would not harm civilians with the lethal hardware. Marine Gen. Peter Pace, chief of the U.S. Southern Command, also said at a press conference Thursday evening that U.S. policy toward Colombia was unlikely to change radically after President-elect Bush takes office on Saturday. ''Obviously the new administration will do its own assessment, but we'll meet our obligations to your government,'' Pace told mostly Colombian journalists at the Defense Ministry. He noted that Washington's $1.3 billion aid package for Colombia received bipartisan support in the U.S. Congress. Under the package, two U.S.-trained army battalions are poised to launch operations in Colombia's southern cocaine-producing region, and U.S. special forces troops will soon begin training a third battalion here. Addressing concerns that the aid will lead to more civilian casualties, Pace said Gen. Mario Montoya, who will command operations involving the U.S.-supplied helicopters and U.S.-trained troops, is ''responsible'' and will use intelligence data to carefully plan missions. But with civilians suffering the most casualties in Colombia's war, Pace's confidence was met by unease. The helicopters, which United States will begin delivering to Colombia this month, will be armed with weapons that can spew out as many as 50 bullets per second. U.S.-trained army battalions flying aboard the helicopters will try to seize coca fields and laboratories from leftist rebels and right-wing paramilitary gunmen � who earn millions of dollars by ''taxing'' the narcotics industry � so unarmed planes can spray the coca with herbicide. Much of the coca, the main ingredient of cocaine, is produced by peasant farmers. Gen. Fernando Tapias, the commander of Colombia's armed forces, said farmers and their families would not be caught in the cross fire. ''The army ground troops have the task of protecting the people on the ground, not just to prevent (rebels and paramilitaries) from shooting at the helicopters,'' Tapias said at the joint news conference. But Colombia's armed forces have a spotty record on human rights and discipline. Last August, troops opened fire on schoolchildren walking in the hills to a picnic, mistaking them for rebels. Six children died. Some military officers have also been charged with collaborating with paramilitary death squads. U.S. officials say the aid is necessary to curb drug production and help Colombia's military hit back at guerrillas who profit from the cocaine trade. Pace said the first Huey helicopters would arrive later this month. More sophisticated Black Hawk helicopters will arrive during the second half of 2001, he said. <A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/">www.ctrl.org</A> DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion & informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic screeds are unwelcomed. Substance�not soap-boxing�please! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory'�with its many half-truths, mis- directions and outright frauds�is used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRLgives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply. Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector. ======================================================================== Archives Available at: http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html <A HREF="http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html">Archives of [EMAIL PROTECTED]</A> http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/ <A HREF="http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/">ctrl</A> ======================================================================== To subscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SUBSCRIBE CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] To UNsubscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SIGNOFF CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] Om
