Grassley used the forum to call attention to "a U.S. policy in disarray at a time when Colombia isin the midst of a major crisis." He cited drug smuggling through the U.S. embassy in Bogota andthe increased drug cultivation despite years of eradication as examples. "Colombia today isproducing more cocaine than at any time since we began efforts there," Grassley said.
As a result, Grassley said that he will introduce legislation this week to require the administrationto submit to Congress within six months a detailed strategy for a comprehensive U.S. counterdrugeffort in Colombia. A supplemental funding request for $1 billion, mostly to be used for efforts inColombia, has been made by the U.S. drug czar. "A plan to maximize the benefit of spending thatkind of additional money needs to be made before another billion dollars is committed," Grassleysaid.
During the morning hearing, U.S. government officials from the defense and state departmentsdiscussed counterdrug activities and their effect on national security interests. "The drug traffickingthreat from Colombia has changes significantly from the early 1990s to today," said Brian Sheridan,Department of Defense Coordinator for Drug Enforcement Policy and Support. He said that thethreat in Colombia has been amplified by the success of the U.S. air interdiction program in Peru --where more than 60 percent of the world's coca was produced in 1993 -- and the growingrelationship between the narcotraffickers and guerilla/para-military units in Colombia itself.
The Senate Caucus on International Narcotics Control also heard testimony from an academicspecializing in Latin America, as well as a leader in international business. "Our interests and goalsin Latin America's third largest country deserve serious discussion. The United States does not havethe luxury of remaining indifferent to Colombia, or disengaging from the country," said MichaelShifter, Senior Fellow, Inter-American Dialogue.