News and Document archive source
copyrighted material disclaimer at bottom of page

NewsMinewar-on-terrorlatin-americacolombia — Viewing Item


Us releases aid colombia { July 9 2003 }

Original Source Link: (May no longer be active)
   http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A30026-2003Jul8.html

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A30026-2003Jul8.html

U.S. Releases Aid to Colombia
State Dept. Says Bogota Met Conditions on Human Rights

Reuters
Wednesday, July 9, 2003; Page A28

The State Department said yesterday that Colombia has met U.S. conditions on respecting human rights, triggering the release of $31.6 million in aid to the Colombian military, according to a senior U.S. official.

Human rights groups criticized the decision, arguing the Colombian military has not done enough to pursue officers accused of human rights violations or to sever ties to the country's paramilitary groups.

Under U.S. law, Colombia's military must meet conditions -- including cutting links with paramilitary groups and suspending officers credibly accused of gross human rights violations -- to get some of the aid.

The law provides that 75 percent of the roughly $252 million in aid this year may go ahead without Washington certifying that Colombia has met its conditions. The remainder is released in two 12.5 percent tranches, U.S. officials said.

A senior State Department official said the $31.6 million corresponded to the first tranche.

Last week, the United States said it would withhold about $5 million in military aid to Colombia this year because it has failed to sign an agreement that would protect U.S. personnel from prosecution by the International Criminal Court.

The State Department official said Washington would deduct this money from the second 12.5 percent tranche unless Colombia signed a so-called Article 98 agreement offering these protections.

State Department spokesman Philip Reeker said Colombia met the U.S. legal requirements. "We recognize that more needs to be done to improve the human rights performance of the armed forces," he said.

"It is shameful that the U.S. State Department, which designated armed rebel groups and paramilitary forces as 'terrorists,' somehow doesn't see the glaring human rights abuses that permeate Colombian society," Amnesty International USA's executive director, William F. Schulz, said in a statement.



© 2003 The Washington Post Company



38 year war
Aggresive us backed colombia strategy expected to be brutal { January 25 2004 }
Blast rocks elite club { February 8 2003 }
Colombia albright
Colombia burning { May 31 2002 }
Colombian leader says peasant killing was accident { April 13 2004 }
Combatants { July 31 2001 }
Drug war { December 27 2002 }
Explosions capital { August 8 2002 }
Farc inside
Farc terror
Five americans soldiers detained for smuggling cocaine
Ira farc
Land reform
Ny stock exchange richard grasso met farc
Occidental oil bombs civilians { January 9 2003 }
Opium colombia
Plan colombia seen as failing { July 12 2003 }
Plane goes down { February 14 2003 }
Punish colombia airforce { November 16 2002 }
State of emergency
Troops kill 5 they mistook for rebels { April 12 2004 }
Unabridged military relationship { February 7 2003 }
Us aids paramilitaries { May 17 2001 }
Us captive pows { February 25 2003 }
US deals with colombians linked to death squads
Us heading deeper { May 3 2002 }
Us releases aid colombia { July 9 2003 }
US soldiers trafficing arms to paramilitary groups { May 5 2005 }
War in colombia unnoticed { September 29 2003 }
War tax

Files Listed: 31



Correction/submissions

CIA FOIA Archive

National Security
Archives
Support one-state solution for Israel and Palestine Tea Party bumper stickers JFK for Dummies, The Assassination made simple