U.S. SAYS COLOMBIA'S PROGRESS ON MILITARY ABUSES CLEARS THE PATH FOR AID

WASHINGTON The State Department reported today that Colombia is making
progress in deterring human rights crimes by the armed forces and
right-wing paramilitary groups, clearing the way for the release of $62
million in American military aid.

The certification drew immediate criticism from human rights groups and was
met with some skepticism in Congress. Lawmakers had established the
procedure to curb abuses against civilians in Colombia, which is the third
largest recipient of American aid.

Secretary of State Colin L. Powell determined that the Colombian armed
forces are suspending and prosecuting military officers implicated in human
rights crimes, breaking links with paramilitary groups and capturing their
leaders, his spokesman said.

Mr. Powell's decision frees up the first portion of a $104 million military
aid package this year. Congress has required a second certification
sometime after June 1 to release the remaining funds.

The move came as no surprise from an administration that has increasingly
warned of the dangers posed to Colombia by narcotics traffickers and their
"terrorist" allies on both the political left and right.

The civil conflict in the country is more than three decades old, but has
intensified in recent years as rebel groups have been fueled by money from
drug trafficking. Peace talks with the government recently broke down as
the rebels continued a campaign of kidnapping and violence.

Richard A. Boucher, the State Department spokesman, said a vast majority of
human rights crimes in Colombia were committed not by the military but by
the the country's two leftist insurgencies a " the Revolutionary Armed
Forces of Colombia and the National Liberation Army a " and the main
paramilitary organization, the Self-Defense Forces of Colombia. But, he
said, the government must do better to protect civilians.

"Despite some real progress, both we and the government of Colombia
recognize that the protection of human rights in Colombia needs
improvement," Mr. Boucher said.

Senator Patrick J. Leahy, who is chairman of the appropriations
subcommittee that oversees foreign assistance, countered that Colombia's
record was "disappointing."

Mr. Leahy, a Vermont Democrat, added, "This certification has more to do
with the fact that U.S. aid was running out, than with sufficient progress
on human rights."

Mr. Leahy and several leading human rights groups charged that the
Colombian government has done little to arrest and prosecute paramilitary
leaders and their military allies. The groups accuse Colombian officers of
sharing intelligence, coordinating roadblocks and remaining in close
communication with the Self-Defense Forces during their scorched earth,
anti-insurgency drives.

Critics cited the case of Gen. Rodrigo Quiones Cardenas, a former regional
commander whom they accuse of involvement in massacres at El Salado and
Chengue, and the deaths of numerous community leaders. Under pressure from
the Bush administration, General Quiones was recently sent abroad as a
military attache.

While administration officials held up the case as a sign of progress,
critics said it signaled continuing impunity for military officers working
with the Self-Defense Forces.

"The administration is proposing millions in counterterrorism aid to
Colombia even as the Colombian military refuses to break ties with a
designated terrorist group," said Miguel Vivanco, the director of the
Americas program at Human Rights Watch.