Central Americans Vow War on Drugs at Belize Summit : Narcotics: Colombian traffickers are using the isthmus as a ‘bridge’ for cocaine headed for the United States.

Alarmed by the explosion of narcotics trafficking in Central America, the region’s leaders pledged Friday to join a united war on drugs that includes the sharing of intelligence and police-training programs.

Ending a one-day summit in this Caribbean seaport, the presidents or representatives of seven countries issued an 18-point declaration promising to cooperate in developing drug abuse programs, eradicating marijuana and heroin production and halting the flow of tons of cocaine that pass through the isthmus.

The Declaration of Belize also called on the United States, Britain and other countries to help Central America improve its economies by developing alternative crops, improving trade terms and relieving foreign debt.

“Without strong economies and improved economic conditions in the region, our anti-drug efforts can have only very limited results,” the presidents stated.

It is the first time the single issue of drug trafficking has filled the agenda at a Central American presidential summit, and reflects growing concern in the region.

In the last several years, Colombian traffickers have turned to countries on the Central American isthmus for use as a transshipment point, a “bridge” between Colombia and the final destination for most cocaine, the United States.

At the same time, the region’s governments have seen more and more signs of drug contamination in their own societies: money laundering, crack abuse and corruption.

“Drug trafficking and the use of our territory as transshipment points,” said Belizean Prime Minister George C. Price, “have put our relatively small societies at the mercy of powerful and corrupting influences which can, and do, cause damage, not only to our society and economy but to our democratic way of life.” At least 30 tons of cocaine was seized in Central America last year, and officials believe it was a tiny fraction of the amount that actually passed through the region.

U.S. drug experts say the shift to Central America has come about because of better success in intervention and detection of clandestine shipments along the heavily traveled routes through the Bahamas and Mexico.

Instead of flying cocaine directly from South America to Mexico, traffickers often opt to land in El Salvador, Guatemala, Belize or other countries in this region. The drugs are then transferred to trucks or boats to continue the journey northward.

In Belize, a sparsely populated country that was once a leading producer of marijuana, drug experts in the last six months have seen traffickers adopt the new technique of dropping bales of cocaine from a plane into the ocean for pickup and shipment.

Participants in Friday’s meeting intended it as a way to show their willingness to come together on the drug issue, a strategy that diplomatic sources predicted would be appealing to the new Clinton Administration.

In fact, U.S. President Clinton sent a message to his Central American counterparts applauding their effort.

“Only by working together--by sharing information and expertise, by cooperating in enforcement and prosecution, by working to reduce demand--can our countries effectively combat this threat,” Clinton said.

The statement was read by senior State Department official Robert Gelbard, who headed a delegation of U.S. officials. Britain and Mexico also sent observers.

But the United States offered no pledge of further assistance, and U.S. drug programs in the isthmus are small compared to those in Mexico and producer countries like Colombia and Bolivia.

And the commitment of some Central American governments to the fight against drugs has been called into question by the alleged involvement of officials and military officers in trafficking.

In Panama, U.S. officials have been critical of the government of President Guillermo Endara for its failure to end high-level support for Colombian traffickers. Drug-related activities such as money laundering have reportedly flourished despite the 1989 capture of Panamanian leader Gen. Manuel A. Noriega by U.S. forces who accused him of involvement in Panama’s illicit narcotics industry.

In addition to Belize’s Price and Panama’s Endara, the participants were President Alfredo Cristiani of El Salvador; President Violeta Barrios de Chamorro of Nicaragua; Honduran President Rafael L. Callejas; Costa Rica’s first vice president, German Serrano, and Guatemala’s interior minister, Francisco Perdomo Sandoval.