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FEBRUARY 28, 2001

A day after the State Department criticized the country for its poor record on human rights, President George W. Bush on Tuesday said the United States won't get directly involved in Columbia's battle with guerilla groups who kidnapped and killed three American indigenous rights activists.

The State Department in a report on Monday noted that paramilitary forces responsible for the March 1999 deaths of Terence Freitas, Lahe'ena'e Gay, and Ingrid Washinawatok have yet to be arrested or prosecuted for the alleged crime. Bush said yesterday the United States supports Colombia's negotiations with the guerilla group but will not participate as an observer.

The United States Plan Colombia has contributed $1.3 billion to help the Andean country fight the guerilla groups and combat narco-traffickers. The plan also calls for economic development and trade initiatives for Colombia.

Colombia is trying to convince rural and Indian farmers to stop growing coca and heroin plants. Bush said that Colombia is a key part of the drug war but acknowledged it wouldn't be such a problem if Americans didn't desire narcotics so much.

Get the Story:
Bush Backs Colombia on Trade (The Washington Post 2/28)

Get the Human Rights Report:
Country Reports on Human Rights Practices (US State Dept February 2001)

Relevant Links:
In Memory, Ingrid Washinawatok - numa.niti.org/news
Friends & Relatives of the People, Ingrid Washinawatok, Terence Freitas and Lahe'ena'e Gay - www.ienearth.org/colombia.html

Related Stories:
US criticizes indigenous rights worldwide (Politics 2/27)