Peru Changes Mind About Boycotting Drug Summit : Narcotics war: Lima reverses itself after pulling out of Feb. 15 meeting in protest over Panama invasion. Who will represent nation in Colombia is undecided.

Peru, which pulled out as a participant in an upcoming drug summit in Colombia to protest the U.S. invasion of Panama, backed down today and revealed it will attend the conference.

Peru had withdrawn from the Feb. 15 meeting where President Bush and the presidents of the three Andean nations--Peru, Colombia and Bolivia--were to discuss cooperation in the fight against drug production and trafficking.

Peru said it was doing so to protest President Bush’s Dec. 20 invasion of Panama with 14,000 troops to oust Gen. Manuel A. Noriega from power.

But today presidential Press Secretary Marlin Fitzwater told White House reporters, “Peru indicates they intend to participate.”

Fitzwater said, however, he does not know if Peru’s president, Alan Garcia, will attend, or whether he will send a lower-ranking representative. The meeting was designed as a meeting of the four presidents.

A Peruvian diplomat in Washington confirmed that Peru had reversed itself but said it is not yet certain who will represent the South American nation.

The diplomat, speaking on condition of anonymity, said current plans are for a minister of foreign relations or minister of interior to attend.

If the United States withdraws its invasion troops from Panama, Garcia may go, the diplomat added.

The Peruvian official said Lima had reacted hastily in withdrawing its participation out of anger over the Panama situation, which has earned Bush criticism from many nations.

“In no way did Peru want to boycott the meeting,” the official said. “Sometimes you say things, and then you realize it wasn’t the proper thing to say.”

Peru is the world’s major producer of coca leaf, while Colombia is the leader in processing and exporting the plant for cocaine.