81.   The court decision comes amid growing opposition in Colombia to herbicide use against drug crops and as Congress considers additional drug fighting aid for the country.

82.   The effort is likely to be opposed by the leftist insurgents who guard drug crops and processing laboratories in Putumayo.

83.   The foreign minister also downplayed any environmental damage to the Amazon basin from herbicides used to eradicate illegal drug crops.

84.   The FARC has also refused to suspend kidnappings, a key revenue source along with extortion and protecting drug crops.

85.   The figures suggested stepped up aerial spraying was failing to dent the burgeoning drug crop.

86.   The guerrillas often fire on low-flying Colombian military aircraft and crop-dusting planes sent to fumigate illegal drug crops in areas they control.

87.   The guerrillas and a rival right-wing paramilitary militia tax the drug crops in order to fund their operations.

88.   The guerrillas partly finance their insurgency by protecting drug crops and laboratories.

89.   The helicopters would escort unarmed planes that fumigate drug crops and ferry troops from two new U.S.-trained army battalions into guerrilla-infested jungles.

90.   The lawmakers said, however, that Colombia has mistakenly sprayed drug crops while negotiations were under way to encourage farmers to join alternative development programs.