Article: U.S. Officials to Visit Colombia August 29-31

27 August 2001

Article: U.S. Officials to Visit Colombia August 29-31

Visit designed to show support for Colombian government

Washington -- Top U.S. officials will visit Colombia August 29-31 to show support for Colombian efforts to combat narcotics trafficking, promote social and economic development, and further the growth of democratic institutions in that Andean nation, says the U.S. embassy in Bogota.

In an August 27 statement, the embassy said Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Marc Grossman would head the delegation. The embassy said this is the highest-level U.S. delegation to visit Colombia since the Bush Administration took office in January.

The U.S. officials will meet with Colombian President Andres Pastrana and other members of his government. They plan also to visit counter-narcotics training and operations centers at Larandia and Tres Esquinas in southern Colombia, and to meet with representatives of non-governmental human rights organizations.

The delegation will include Commander of the U.S. Southern Command, Peter Pace; Deputy Administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development Janet Ballantyne; Assistant Secretary of State for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs Rand Beers; National Security Council Special Assistant John Maisto; Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs William Brownfield; Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense Andre Hollis; Deputy Assistant Attorney General Mary Lee Warren; and Acting Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy Bob Brown.