01 May 2002

State Department Says Colombia Meets Human Rights Requirements for Aid, May 1, 2002

(Decision clears $62 million in aid to Colombian military)

By Eric Green Washington File Staff Writer

Washington -- The United States will provide the Colombian military with about $62 million in aid after the State Department has certified that the Colombians have met U.S. congressionally-mandated human rights requirements.

At a May 1 background briefing, State Department officials said the $62 million represents part of the $104 million provided by Congress for the Colombian military, based on Colombia's progress in such areas as suspending military officers who are credibly alleged to have committed gross violations of human rights or who are suspected of aiding or abetting paramilitary groups. The rest of the funding would be released no earlier than June 1 if it is determined that the Colombian military is continuing to show progress in the area of human rights.

Another condition for the aid, a State Department senior official said, is cooperation by Colombian armed forces with civilian prosecutors and judicial authorities in prosecuting and punishing in civilian courts military officers alleged to have committed human rights abuses. The aid is also conditioned on whether the Colombian armed forces are taking effective measures to sever links with paramilitary groups.

The official, who asked to not be identified, emphasized that this certification for Colombia should not be confused with the annual State Department human rights report released in March, which included a segment on Colombia. Rather, the official said, the certification is related to a foreign operations bill in the U.S. Congress that ensures "there is transparency in the handling of prosecutions that relate to [Colombian] military officials being charged with gross violations of human rights."

The official said that even with the certification, Colombia's judicial system could stand much improvement. For instance, he said, only about three percent of investigations by civilian authorities result in "general prosecutions of all sorts."

"So there is a sense of frustration, quite understandable, about the slow pace of prosecution of military officers who are alleged" to have been engaged in human rights violations, the official said.

But the official cited several cases where the Colombians have shown progress, such as the shifting of a military general to administrative duties because of his poor human rights record. The official also said legal action was taken against armed forces personnel alleged to have colluded with paramilitary groups in a 1997 massacre.

Amplifying what was said on background, State Department spokesman Richard Boucher issued a statement May 1 that said Secretary of State Colin Powell has determined and certified that the Colombian armed forces are meeting the statutory criteria related to human rights and ties to paramilitary groups required under section 567 of the Foreign Operations, Export Financing, and Related Programs Appropriations Act of 2002.

The spokesman said Powell's determination was based on a "thorough, careful evaluation of the conditions of section 567 and the relevant actions and policies of the Colombian military," adding: "The process leading to the determination was not intended to be a complete review of the human rights situation in Colombia, but was focused on the statutory criteria."

Boucher said that "despite some real progress, both we and the government of Colombia recognize that the protection of human rights in Colombia needs improvement." And "while the vast majority of human rights abuses are committed by the three terrorist organizations in Colombia -- the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), the National Liberation Army (ELN), and the Self Defense Forces of Colombia (AUC) -- the government of Colombia has assured us of its understanding that the protection of human rights is a special responsibility of government," he continued. "A secure, prosperous, democratic Colombia cannot be achieved if human rights abuses and impunity for human rights abusers" are allowed.

The spokesman observed that human rights is central to U.S. policy in Colombia, and said: "We are committed to continue working with the government of Colombia on concrete measures it should take to make further progress in improving the human rights performance of its Armed Forces, including ending military-paramilitary collaboration."