1. Ambassador Myles Frechette made the comments Wednesday in an interview with QAP television, hours after Colombia showed its anger with U.S. policy by temporarily suspending drug crop eradication. 2. Also, State Department employees and contractors, who fly and maintain planes and helicopters used for drug crop eradication, also are in the South American country. 3. Colombia on Friday announced that it will end its suspension of drug crop eradication and resume the spraying next week. 4. Eradicating insurgents The helicopters were not used only in drug eradication, however. 5. If they do, the U.S. government will be willing to provide more aid for crop substitution, drug eradication and development assistance through United Nations agencies. 6. In addition, State Department employees and contractors fly and maintain planes and helicopters used for drug crop eradication. 7. The two countries are fighting to extract themselves from the illegal drug circuit, as well as overcome the negative economic effects accompanying drug eradication. 8. U.S.-sponsored drug eradication has managed only to slow the rate of increase of illicit crop production. 9. However the United States was unable to resume assistance in drug eradication in Burma because of the human rights situation there, he said. |