U.S. Anti-Drug Czar Predicts a Fight in Colombia

White House anti-drug czar Barry McCaffrey on Monday predicted heavy fighting in an approaching U.S.-backed anti-drug offensive and warned that there would be repercussions for Colombia’s neighbors.

But with “vital” U.S. interests at stake, and insurgents growing stronger through deepening ties to the drug trade, McCaffrey said he saw no alternative to the $1.3-billion effort set to get underway in January.

“Colombia has no option. Your survival is at stake, and those of us who are friends of Colombia must stand with you,” McCaffrey told a news conference Monday as he started a two-day visit accompanied by Undersecretary of State Thomas R. Pickering.

Last week, Colombia’s largest leftist insurgency declared a freeze on peace talks that have been President Andres Pastrana’s main strategy for ending a three-decade conflict.

The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, said it was protesting U.S. military aid and lack of government action against rightist paramilitary forces waging an unofficial “dirty war” against suspected leftists.

The rebels are also maintaining a 2-month-old stranglehold on the largest coca-growing province while highlighting the lack of state authority throughout the countryside.