The FARC narco-terrorists are about to be handed half of Colombia

Transcription

1 Click hee fo Full Issue of EI Volume 25, Numbe 40, Octobe 9, 1998 Inteview: Gen. Haold Bedoya The FAC naco-teoists ae about to be handed half of Colombia Colombia s new Pesident, Andés Pastana, has announced that by Nov. 7, at the latest, his govenment intends to demilitaize five municipalities in the heat of the county, to place them in the hands of the naco-teoist evolutionay Amed Foces of Colombia (FAC). This demilitaization o despeje as it is called in Spanish is the FAC s cental demand fo beginning peace negotiations with the Pastana govenment. Although vaious foces in Colombia and in the United States have expessed esevations and concen ove this stategy, the official position held by both the Pastana govenment and the U.S. State Depatment, is that the FAC ae gueillas who opeate on the basis of ideology, and ae not oganically linked to the dug tade. Duing a ecent visit to Washington, Maximiliano Londoño, pesident of the Ibeo- Ameican Solidaity Movement (MSIA) in Colombia, and a fequent contibuto to this magazine, held a numbe of pivate meetings with govenment officials who told him, one afte the othe, that the FAC and the dug tade ovelap only by 7 to 10%. As Londoño has witten: The common axiomatic flaw of both the U.S. State Depatment and the cuent Pastana govenment in Colombia, is expessed in thei efusal to ecognize the existence of nacoteoism. When the govenments of Washington and Bogotá insist in the face of undeniable evidence that the FAC and National Libeation Amy (ELN) teoists have no oganic ties to the dug tade, and that only 7-10% of thei activities ovelap with the dug tade, they not only deny eality but also commit a majo stategic blunde. The solution to the cisis in Colombia must begin by ecognizing that the motal enemy we face is the Thid Catel, o the naco-teoist catel, whose amed wing is the FAC-ELN. Theefoe, the idea that one must negotiate with the gueillas, ganting them political status while ceding them teitoy, supposedly in the hope that they will help to educe the dug tade in thei aeas of influence, is equivalent to tying to appease Hitle into contibuting to lasting peace in Euope, as the foolish Neville Chambelain insisted. Upon his etun to Bogotá, Londoño inteviewed Gen. Haold Bedoya (et.), to get a detailed epot on the stategicmilitay significance of the planned demilitaization. Thee ae few Colombians bette equipped to give such an analytical epot. A distinguished soldie, with moe than 40 yeas of sevice in almost all egions of Colombia, Geneal Bedoya was commande of the county s Amed Foces in 1997, when then-pesident Enesto Sampe fied him, given Bedoya s vocifeous opposition to Sampe s open policy of favoing the dug tade. Geneal Bedoya ganted Londoño this inteview on Sept. 21. EI: This week, Pesident Andés Pastana is going to tavel to Washington to lobby the U.S. Congess ove the supposed vitues of the militay and police evacuation of the municipalities of La Uibe, Vista Hemosa, Macaena, Mesetas, and San Vicente del Caguán, located in the Depatments of Meta and Caquetá. How do you view the demilitaization of these five municipalities? Gen. Bedoya: Today is Sept. 21. The news fom [the UN Geneal Assembly in] New Yok is that Pesident Clinton has declaed wa against intenational teoists, and is calling on the entie wold to unite to eliminate these ciminal oganizations. So the fist thing I see is that the FAC is an intenational teoist oganization, just like the ELN, accoding to the State Depatment, the Congess, and the govenment of the United States. This is vey impotant. How ae they going to go about declaing wa against intenational teoism, of which ciminal oganizations such as the FAC and ELN ae a pat? Because, if we ae talking about a demilitaization so that an intenational teoist oganization can take ove not just five municipalities (this is the geat lie being sold to the wold), but half the county, not 50,000 squae kilometes, but 500,000 squae kilometes the situation becomes vey delicate. Because the poblem is no longe a Colombian poblem, but an intenational one. If we ae going to discuss the significance of those municipalities, nationally and intenationally, we have to take note of what each one epesents fo the naco-teoists geopolitical inteests. EI: Why do you say that 500,000 squae kilometes is go- 54 Intenational EI Octobe 9, EI News Sevice Inc. All ights eseved. epoduction in whole o in pat without pemission stictly pohibited.

2 ing to be handed ove, if the govenment emphasizes that the evacuated aea will not exceed 50,000 squae kilometes, with the additional poviso that the demilitaization will only be tempoay and will take effect in municipalities whee thee is supposedly no dug poduction? Gen. Bedoya: Each one of the municipalities has to be studied specifically [Figues 1 and 2]. What does each one epesent? What is the municipality of Vista Hemosa, fo example? Vista Hemosa is a zone that has moe dug-tafficking laboatoies and aistips than any othe pat of the county. Vista Hemosa is connected to almost the entie Aiai egion though the Güéja ive, and is linked with Guaviae Depatment by the Guayabeo ive. Vista Hemosa has the big coca-pocessing complexes. Less than a month ago, the National Amy discoveed and destoyed a laboatoy thee. Futhemoe, thee is a lot of coca gown in that egion. The Guaviae cops ae in effect pocessed in laboatoies that ae located within Vista Hemosa municipality. The Capa egion, fo example, is whee coca paste was used as cuency. Pueto Colombia is within the aea of Vista Hemosa, and has its own aistips. It is the buying cente fo coca paste fo the entie Guayabeo egion. Vista Hemosa involves the Depatment of Meta, of which it is pat. Vista Hemosa has a long highway, which extends fom La Macaena to the Aiai egion, which is called the Güéja ive. This is the highway of [FAC chieftain Sueshot ] Tiofijo. Guaviae Depatment is intimately linked to Vaupés Depatment. I would emind you that the ecent FAC attack in the egion of Miafloes was caied out by teoist oganizations the FAC has in Vaupés Depatment, which tavelled down the Vaupés ive. We ae talking about the fact that all the coca poduced in Vaupés is taken to Miafloes, whee it is pocessed. Miafloes is the distibution point fo the inputs and supplies of the coca plantations. So, in eality, Vista Hemosa municipality connects the Depatments of Vaupés, Guaviae, and Meta, and is also linked to Vichada Depatment. The Güéja ive is a tibutay of the Aiai ive which, togethe with the Guayabeo, is in tun a tibutay of the Guaviae, which in tun empties into the Oinoco ive [on the notheasten bode with Venezuela]. And Vichada is anothe place whee nacotics ae poduced. The populations of the egion ae located along the banks of these geat ives. La Uibe municipality is also linked to this ive system though the Duda and Guayabeo ives. Now, add to this the fact that, fom thee of the tagetted municipalities La Uibe, San Vicente del Caguán, and Mesetas the FAC has access to the entie basin of the Caquetá, Putumayo, and Apapois ives, which ae the geat ive outes of the Amazonas egion. The Sunciyá ive empties into the Caguán ive, which empties into the Caquetá ive. Don t foget that the FAC aleady contols Catagena del Chaiá, a municipality which was given to Tiofijo by the pevious govenment, supposedly to guaantee the FAC s elease of the kidnapped soldies two yeas ago. Also ight neaby is the Yaí ive. emembe that the vey fist, lage cocaine laboatoies that wee destoyed in Colombia wee fom the Yaí Valley, when odigo Laa Bonilla was Justice Ministe. Also nea La Macaena and Vista Hemosa is the Apapois ive. This ive uns nea the Chiibiquete Mountains, one of the zones whee many cocaine laboatoies have been destoyed. The attacks that the FAC naco-teoists ae caying out in this egion ae staged by mobilizing though the ive basins that include the Vaupés, the Iniida, and thei tibutaies. Opeation Conquest which the Amy caied out fou yeas ago, was focussed on taking contol of these ives, to block the tanspotation of coca, cocaine pecuso chemicals, and the tanspot of weapons and teoists along the county s wateways. The opeation was so successful that the FAC had to invent potest mobilizations of the coca-gowes, to politically block the successful Opeation Conquest. And the coca-gowes mobilizations seved as a distaction to enable them to attack Las Delicias militay base, which in tun was used to achieve the militay demilitaization of the Catagena del Chaiá egion. If the pevious govenment had not yielded to the FAC s pessues, we would have completely destabilized them with Opeation Conquest. So, what is being suendeed with these five municipalities is the infastuctue that contols half the county: the ive communication channels and the geogaphic coidos of mobilization, though which they have access to 500,000 squae kilometes. EI: Do you know this aea pesonally, o have you been told this? Gen. Bedoya: I know it. I lived thee, I have walked the zone, and I have navigated it. I was thee fo two yeas. It was duing the peiod in which the coca cops in the entie egion wee nealy eliminated. In 1988, Pesident [Vigilio] Baco launched a national plan to eadicate coca cops. Thoughout Guaviae, thoughout Vaupés, and pat of Vichada, coca cultivation was nealy eadicated at that time. Unfotunately, the state did not povide the esouces no the funds, and the Gaviia govenment came into powe and that pogam was moved to a back bune, and the poblem etuned. But let s etun to the impotance of the municipalities the govenment plans to hand ove to the naco-teoists. La Macaena extends into the Yaí plains, towad Guaviae. I would emind you that the lagest laboatoy the Amy eve destoyed, Tanquilandia, was discoveed in the Chiibiquete Mountains aea. La Macaena is whee all the coca paste fom Bolivia, Peu, and the Colombian Amazonas comes, by means of the ives and clandestine aistips. The odíguez Oejuela bothes and the FAC have huge cocaine laboatoies and landing stips in La Macaena. The egions of Putumayo and Caquetá ae pefectly linked EI Octobe 9, 1998 Intenational 55

3 FIGUE 1 Colombia: FAC teitoial contol CAIBBEAN SEA P A N A M A V E N E Z U E L A PACIFIC OCEAN C O L O M B I A Bogotá Vichada Meta Guainía Guaviae P u t u m a y o 6 Vaupés C a q u e t á ECUADO Amazonas Municipalities to be handed ove to the FAC La Uibe La Macaena Mesetas San Vicente del Caguán Vista Hemosa 6 Catagena del Chaiá (aleady handed ove) Depatments that will fall to de facto FAC contol P E U BAZIL 56 Intenational EI Octobe 9, 1998

4 FIGUE 2 The FAC s Coca epublic Bogotá La Calea Casanae T o l i m a S u m M o u a p a z n t a i n s Huila i v e o G u a y a b e La Uibe D u d a i v e M e s e t a s S t o. Ganada El Castillo Vista Hemosa D o m i n g o i v e G ü é j a i v e A M e t a Pueto Lleas i a Pueto Colombia i i v e Pueto Concodia G u a v i a e i v e G u a y a b e o Miafloes La Capa I n i i d a i v e San Vicente del Caguán i v e La Macaena G u a v i a e V a u p é C a s i v e q u e t á O t e g u a z a C a g u á n i v e Y a i i v e i v e A p a p o i s i v e Chiibiquete Mountains i v e S u n c i y á i v e Ya i i v e Catagena del Chaiá V e n t u a P u t u m a y o Las Delicias C Y a i i v e a q u e t á C a g u á n i v e Aaacuaa EI Octobe 9, 1998 Intenational 57

5 though the ives. The entie aea is intimately inteconnected though communications channels of sots, i.e., the ive basins: the Caguán, the Yaí, the Guayabeo, the Oteguaza, the Sunciyá, the Putumayo, etc. And logically, all of these lead into the Depatment of Amazonas. One of the most impotant sites is Aaacuaa, which is the gateway to the Depatment of Amazonas. What is going to happen if we don t pay attention to these southen egions of the county, which ae completely unpotected? At this moment, thee ae not even toops in Vaupés, fo example. Counties like Bazil, like Peu, like Venezuela, and like Ecuado, ae going to be exposed to the actions of these teoist oganizations, as they aleady have been. Imagine what happens when the five municipalities ae evacuated, and the FAC imposes the law of the dug tade, the law of the jungle, thoughout this teitoy. Logically, the entie egion is lost. EI: And why is the FAC asking fo La Uibe and Mesetas? Gen. Bedoya: These two municipalities, as we have seen, ae linked by ive to Vista Hemosa, Macaena, San Vicente del Caguán, and fom thee, ae linked to the whole Depatments of Meta, Amazonas, Putumayo, Aauca, Guaviae, Vaupés, Vichada, Casanae, Caquetá. But they ae also on the Easten Mountain ange. La Uibe, like Mesetas, is close to Sumapaz. Keep in mind that Sumapaz is the wate supply fo the futue of the nation s capital, Bogotá, and fom it Bogotá can be easily attacked. La Uibe lies pactically in a diect line to the capital as well. emembe that in , Tiofijo penetated this aea up to La Calea. They wee pactically the same oganizations that had come down fom Sumapaz, and they caied out thei attacks on La Calea. That is, geogaphically, the egion of Sumapaz is entiely linked with La Uibe and Mesetas, and it is pactically on top of Cundinamaca Depatment [whose capital is Bogotá]. Though these five municipalities, they will also take ove the egion of Guainía. These ae jungle egions which ae at the mecy of the dug tade, and, logically, they ae vey inteested in having the Amy abandon the five municipalities, so that they can take possession of these teitoies. EI: What then is the FAC s intent in contolling this whole egion? Gen. Bedoya: Since Pesident Pastana aleady ganted them political status, by holding talks with the head of the lagest naco-teoist oganization in the wold, which is what Tiofijo is; now they ae going to hand them teitoy. An oganization of this sot, which has only political status but no teitoy, is only halfway to its goal; so, now, we must give them teitoy, so they can become an independent epublic, which is being handed pactically the ichest egion of Colombia, whee the geat wealth of the Oinoco and Amazon ive basins ae located, and whee the majoity of Colombia s natue paks, its southen jungles, and all of its oil ae located. That is what this egion epesents, which is up on the Easten Mountain ange and at the gates of Bogotá. So, with this ecognition which is being bestowed upon them as a belligeent foce, they ae going to begin to take ove eveything. They ae going to stat with five municipalities, but they will poject themselves ove half of Colombia, just as we can now say that they ae aleady pojected ove Caquetá, ove Putumayo, ove Vaupés, ove Guaviae and Amazonas. These aeas ae tied to the dug tade. Now, we cannot foget that this has been Tiofijo s lifelong deam; Tiofijo has long deamed of heading an independent epublic. In 1988 and 1989, he was the maste of five o six municipalities which they had seized by foce, and in which the Communist Paty, naco-teoist oganizations, and the Patiotic Union itself, which they sponsoed, had moved in. They had moved into Vista Hemosa, La Macaena, La Uibe, and Mesetas, and they wee pactically in Caguán. That is, they had taken these teitoies by foce. In 1989, they lost the elections, and then these municipalities wee once again back in the hands of the political paties. The Consevative Paty won in La Macaena, and the Libeal Paty won in the est of the municipalities mentioned. Thee, the Communists and elated teoist oganizations lost politically. That was a whole battle which this egion waged, so that this would be a democatic teitoy. The geat capital of Tiofijo s teitoies was Ganada. Now we see that he wants to establish the Caguán egion as his geat capital. It is easie fo him to be in the Caguán egion, because fom thee he is gabbing Caquetá, he is taking ove Meta, he is taking contol of Huila, and thus he is petty much swallowing up the whole of the county. They ae going to give him a political gift, by handing him this egion, because he is going to seed it with teoists. The honest people who live in the egion will have to leave. Aleady Villavicencio, Floencia, Neiva, Cali, Medellín, and Bogotá ae the ecipients of the exodus of this whole population, which is not the 100,000 Colombians they say it is. No! Thee ae going to be millions of displaced Colombians who ae going to move to the capitals, because the state abandoned them. Fom one day to the next, the state appeas to be handing teitoies ove to oganizations which have committed evey kind of cime against the population. In Vista Hemosa, all the libeals and the consevatives who waged the battle against Tiofijo in 1989 ae going to leave, because they know what kind of peson he is. The same thing is going to happen in Mesetas, in La Uibe, and in San Vicente del Caguán itself, whee the national Amy is located, having consolidated its positions thee to bing 58 Intenational EI Octobe 9, 1998

6 peace to the egion. So, if the plan is to pull the Amy out, we ae simply going to leave the egion unpotected, and hand it ove to the naco-teoists without a fight. EI: The govenment insists that this is only a tempoay pull-out, which is being done to bing about national bothehood. And those who ague as you do, ae labelled adicals. Gen. Bedoya: What I am waning about, is eality. This egion is pehaps the ichest which Colombia has, and it s most impotant geogaphically and stategically. EI: In fact, we ae talking about half the county, ight? Gen. Bedoya: Not only that, but we ae suendeing all the aeas aound ou bodes: the bode with Venezuela, Bazil, Ecuado, and Peu. These bode aeas ae going to be a flank which we ae going to leave completely abandoned, weakened, at the mecy of the naco-teoist oganizations, which we aleady know opeate in the egion. Now, they tell us that coca and the opium poppy is not gown in these five municipalities. That s a solemn lie. Go to Vista Hemosa, coss the Güéja ive, and you will see the amount of coca planted. The same thing is taking place thoughout La Macaena egion, whee thee ae aistips, thee ae pocessing laboatoies. This is the key point, not the destuction of the cops pe se. Fumigation, of couse, is impotant, but what is fundamental, is to destoy the cocaine-pocessing laboatoies which ae thee in the jungle. They just destoyed a laboatoy in the Caguán; whose was it? It was Tiofijo s, as was the one which was in Vista Hemosa. EI: Why does the govenment keep saying that the demilitaization of the five municipalities will not affect the cop eadiction pogams? Gen. Bedoya: It will affect them. Although thee ae aeas whee coca is gown, but whee, cuently, thee ae no eadication pogams obviously it will not affect the eadication pogams thee, because thee aen t any. With this half-tuth, they ae passing disinfomation to U.S. Congessmen. Besides, the poblem is not only one of eadicating the cops; the poblem is the laboatoies, the cocaine complexes, the landing stips, the inputs enteing the egion, the tanspotation of the dugs by ive. The poblem is the teoism which exists in the egion. Cop cultivation does not poduce cocaine without laboatoies. Tiofijo has his aistips in the Uibe and Duda ive egion. EI: Do you think that, in the United States, they believe these stoies told by the Pastana govenment? Gen. Bedoya: I do not know if they believe them o not, but we Colombians cannot swallow them. eality has shown that the dug-taffickes have taken ove the aea, and they want to consolidate themselves thee. And the govenment fell into the tap, because when the soldies wee kidnapped [at Las Delicias], they cleaed petty much the whole Caguán egion. A whole leading political class in Caquetá was assassinated, stating with the leade of the House of epesentatives, in his day, D. odigo Tubay; and they assassinated the egion s majo politicians. The same thing has happened in the Depatment of Meta. In the last elections, the people in the Depatment of Meta could not vote, because they began to assassinate them, in ode to foce them to vote fo the FAC s candidates, and they enfoced, though violence and intimidation, that no one could vote fo candidates who wee against this naco-couption. We ae epeating the histoy of 1903, nealy 100 yeas ago, when we lost Panama, o athe, we handed Panama ove, simply because we left this depatment unpotected; because soveeignty was not execised with authoity; because the state, instead of making its pesence felt, weakened its militay foces. It must be emembeed that the Colombian Amy in Panama was not even being sent enough to buy its food. The little amy that was thee was dying of hunge. That is why Teddy oosevelt s impeialist blow succeeded, and that is why we lost Panama. And despite the fact that the Pesident at that time, Maoquín, wished to coect the eos of misule and abandonment, Panama was lost; and, saddest of all, that suende was legalized. We gave it legitimacy, by eceiving the miseable sum of $25 million. This time we ae not talking about Panama, but about eight Panamas. Panama, in fact, is smalle than any one of these depatments. May God gant that the state not end up epeating the dak and iepaable histoy of 100 yeas ago, on account of an iesponsible govenment, and not end up handing ove to the naco-teoists what does not belong to the govenment, but to all Colombians. EI: What can be done to avoid that? Gen. Bedoya: We Colombians have to wake up to the gavity of what could happen. The dange is to emain indiffeent to the dismembeing of national teitoy; the dange is to believe in the faud and lies of Tiofijo, an individual who is now teated as if he wee the Patiach Jonah, who embaces all the pesonalities and jounalists who wish to geet him. What is at stake is the Fatheland. The Fatheland does not belong to any govenment, which is why the national Constitution clealy establishes that the defense of soveeignty, the potection of teitoial integity, is the esponsibility of the Amed Foces. Even if they have invented a law which pemits dialogues to be caied out concening national teitoy, that law is unconstitutional fom the standpoint of the integity of the national teitoy. If we Colombians don t watch out, in less than fou yeas we will no longe have a complete nation, but two counties, o pehaps fou counties. EI Octobe 9, 1998 Intenational 59

7 Thus, the eality is that the Fatheland is in dange, and this cannot be looked at as if fom Olympus, believing the sien songs of Tiofijo and Gabino [anothe teoist leade], who ae pesented today as if they wee Bolíva and Santande, the new heoes who will bing peace to Colombia. Of couse, it will be a final peace: the peace of the gave. EI: What measues would you take to esolve this poblem, wee you Pesident of Colombia? Gen. Bedoya: The fist thing which has to be done is to stengthen the state, stengthen the Amed Foces, enfoce the Constitution and the laws of the epublic, contol these teitoies, and if a dialogue is desied, let a specific point be detemined, as has always been done eve since these dialogues with othe goups began; but at no time weaken national teitoial integity and soveeignty, no abandon the community of all these egions to thei own misfotune. Because the defense of the lives, the hono, and the possessions of Colombians is not discetionay. It is not optional fo the incumbent govenment; it is an obligation, a constitutional mandate which must be fulfilled by the Amed Foces of Colombia, which have this geat esponsibility, a esponsibility which they cannot delegate. No govenment can abandon its citizens who live in this half of Colombia to thei fate. EI: But the govenment insists that the demilitaization is a tempoay measue. Gen. Bedoya: Well, we also withdew fom Panama tempoaily. That s how we gave up Panama, and with it, not only did we give up teitoy, we gave up the Panama Canal as well. EI: What othe measues should be applied? Gen. Bedoya: Enfoce the law. EI: And how would the militay aspect opeate? Gen. Bedoya: This is not simply a militay matte. It s a matte of state; it s a policy, a political decision that must be made to eestablish the ule of law law and ode thoughout ou national teitoy. Thee ae many vey clea examples of Pesidents who made decisions: Pesident Guillemo León Valencia, D. Julio Césa Tubay; and then thee ae teible examples, such as Maoquín, who lost Panama. I hope D. Pastana doesn t follow Maoquín s example. EI: We ve been told that we Colombians have been killing each othe in faticidal wafae fo 50 yeas, and that s why we find ouselves in these cicumstances today. Is this tue? Gen. Bedoya: That is a solemn lie. The point is that thee have been govenments which govened, and those that have misgovened. We ve had Pesidents who have made the political decision to confont violence when it became necessay to do so. In the 1960s, we had Guillemo León Valencia; in the 1980s, Julio Césa Tubay. But, we ve also had those who misgovened, who destoyed authoity. Fom 1982 to the pesent, we ve had total misgovenment, duing which thee wee events such as the [Novembe 1985] taking of the Justice Palace, and the ampant gowth of dug tafficking, which is also the consequence of an absence of authoity. We saw this in the pevious govenment, which ganted impunity to vitually all the dug taffickes. In this county, we neithe punish no extadite those who should be extadited; and now we ae pepaing to gant impunity once again. I m efeing to absolving Tiofijo and all his followes, and then finishing off what emains of the Amed Foces, in a Congess which doesn t pass laws coheent with ou national eality. This is a Congess which has been kidnapped. Evey day senatos and congessmen ae kidnapped, and then they etun with messages, and with the desie to legislate on behalf of the teoists and dug taffickes. EI: What is you view of the cuent situation of the Amed Foces? Gen. Bedoya: The Amed Foces have a vey impotant esponsibility confeed on them, not by the govenment, but by the Constitution. This is what they must obey, what the Constitution of the epublic mandates, which is vey clea. Equally clea is the ciminal code which states that caving up ou teitoy constitutes a cime of teason against the Fatheland. I hope that no one in this county will have to be tied fo teason with the exception of the pevious govenment, which will have to answe fo committing teason when it handed ove the Caguán egion two yeas ago. The Sampe govenment will have to answe to the people, to society, and to the couts, which hopefully will ty these types of Pesidents. EI: What kind of aid o coopeation do you think the United States could offe us? Gen. Bedoya: Pesident Clinton has aleady announced that he will declae wa on intenational teoism. Well, hee we have the FAC and the ELN, who ae intenational teoists, as the United States itself has stated. So, while caefully especting Colombian soveeignty, the United States should begin by doing what it pomised it would do. Othewise, Colombia needs help in a numbe of ways. Fist, by ceating an alliance, an association fo development; offeing capital, technology, maketing, and infastuctue in all those aeas affected by the dug tade. Thee must be a consolidation of the alliance with us in the wa on the dug tade, by taining pesonnel, poviding equipment to destoy the laboatoies in the cocaine complexes; also poviding the aeial equipment to allow us to stop the planes that tanspot coca o coca paste; and suppoting ou Amy. Unfotunately, the pevious govenment didn t buy all of the 12 Blackhawk helicoptes which the U.S. Congess authoized. The goven- 60 Intenational EI Octobe 9, 1998

8 ment only bought seven. The helicoptes which the pevious govenment puchased fo $3 to $4 million apiece, aen t woth moe than $1 million apiece intenationally. If the Amy doesn t have esouces, it will be vey difficult fo it to do much. Look at the poblem we have, when the Amy only has seven Blackhawk helicoptes. The fist thing that should be done, is to buy the othe five, so we have ai suppot. We need a communications satellite. In geneal, the Amed Foces have to be stengthened. Foget about those congessmen who want to do away with the univesal militay daft, when we all know that what has to be done as a pioity, is to evive the statutes egading pofessional soldies. This has lain domant in the Congess fo moe than two yeas, sleeping the sleep of the dead, and leaving ou soldies, especially ou pofessional soldies, completely unpotected. Soldies in Colombia, and paticulaly pofessional soldies, do not eceive adequate esouces. The county doesn t have enough soldies. In a county which should have at least 1% of its population unde ams, as any county in peacetime does, Colombia has no moe than 120,000 soldies. It should have 360,000 soldies. Now they say they want all soldies to be pofessionals; yet we know that, because of the violence, and in an economic system which cannot finance pofessional soldies, no egulation fo the taining of the pofessional soldie has even been defined. Thee is no way fo militay sevice to be exclusively voluntay. I am sounding the alam fo Colombians, so that we don t lose ou Fatheland. The county doesn t belong to the govenment which happens to be in office. The pevious Pesident dedicated himself to destoying the county, and like the Congess, cozied up to the dug taffickes. And, if the cuent Pesident doesn t wake up, he ll go down the same oad, o a wose one. EI: Some have poposed binging in foeign toops o UN Blue Helmets. Gen. Bedoya: No, no, no, no. What we need is fo the county to make the political decision, that will let ou soldies cay out thei duty. Ou soldies ae attacked, and stigmatized by the people who think that they alone speak on behalf of human ights by the non-govenmental oganizations [NGOs], both foeign and domestic. Hee, soldies who do thei duty ae pesecuted by the offices of the Attoney Geneal and the Posecuto Geneal. The same is tue fo offices and non-commissioned offices. The Amed Foces need to have thei own system of militay justice, so they can do thei duty. Eveything else is a total lie, and is teason to the Fatheland. EI: On anothe occasion, I head you say that the Depatment of Vichada is moe o less the size of Vietnam. Can you develop that compaison fo us, as it might be useful fo the United States? Gen. Bedoya: Vichada is a Depatment, one of the 30-odd we have now, located in the east. I have an inteesting anecdote about this: Once, Gen. Wesley Clake, when he was head of the U.S. Southen Command, visited Vichada. He was hee in Januay and Febuay of I was head of the Amy, and we went to Vichada, whee thee is a U.S. ada station. We toued the aea, and then he asked me, Geneal, how lage is Vichada? I answeed that it was 100,000 squae kilometes. He asked, How many soldies ae hee in Vichada? I told him that at the base, we had one 1H helicopte and an infanty battalion. He told me, Look, Geneal, Vichada is moe o less the same size as Vietnam. Thee we had 2,000 helicoptes and five divisions. You ae heoes fo tying to contol this teitoy with the few toops you have hee. You need help. Afte that convesation, the U.S. Congess authoized the sale of the Blackhawk helicoptes; but in the end, because of the pevious govenment s politicking and deal-making, only seven wee puchased. We ae just now beginning to ecove somewhat, to wage the wa that has to be waged against the teoist and dug-tafficking oganizations. Vietnam, with 113,000 squae kilometes, had a population fighting fo its teitoy, but hee, we e dealing with bandits who want to conque teitoy fo the dug tade. EI: In othe wods, the teitoy that would be unde nacoteoist contol, would be the equivalent of five Vietnams. Gen. Bedoya: Yes, five Vietnams and eight Panamas. EI: What message do you have fo the Ameican people and govenment? Gen. Bedoya: The Ameican people have to undestand that Colombia is being theatened by intenational teoism and the dug tade. It is well known that thee ae two teoist oganizations, the FAC and the ELN, hee in Colombia. The State Depatment has them on its list of teoist oganizations. The dug tade has taken Colombia as its theate of opeations. The laboatoies ae hee, but thee ae othe counties involved as well. If we e going to take on this intenational mafia, the whole wold will have to commit itself, and suppot us with economic and technical esouces, to defeat these teoist mafias, to whom no concessions can be made. If all these counties unite to build an alliance, which would simultaneously fight against the dug tade and pool esouces to develop the whole egion, in two yeas Colombia can solve its poblem. We only need two yeas but it equies a fim political decision and intenational suppot, without making any kind of concessions to these ciminal oganizations, such as offeing them ou national teitoy on a silve platte. EI Octobe 9, 1998 Intenational 61