Colombia frustrated by EU aid

The EU were concerned by the military element of the project

By Jeremy McDermott in Colombia

The EU's commissioner for external affairs, Chris Patten, has said that the European Union will only be giving $100m to Plan Colombia, the national strategy designed to get the country on its feet again.

The move is being described by commentators in Colombia as a snub, not just to President Andres Pastrana, but to the US government too.

$100m is way short of the $1bn President Pastrana was hoping to get from Europe for his Plan Colombia, which is based on a total income of $7.5bn.

Mr Pastrana's plans are in tatters

Spain has pledged $100m separately, but the small EU donation has left the president's plan in tatters, as his government is broke and unable to find all of the $4.5bn that Colombia was to contribute.

In fact, the only aid that is arriving as promised is the $1.3bn coming from the United States - mostly military aid, in the form of 60 helicopters and three US-trained anti-narcotics battalions.

They are ostensibly for the war against drugs, but have already seen action against Marxist guerrillas who protect drugs fields and laboratories.

Peace through negotiation

But it was this military element that placed much of Europe against President Pastrana's plan, believing that the fighting will simply escalate and that Colombia really needs peace through negotiation and social investment.

But a peace process with the largest rebel group, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, the FARC, has been going on for two years without any concrete progress.

Some analysts believe the FARC might negotiate in earnest if pressured by the US military aid.

Others feel that the spectre of US intervention, like that in Central America, will simply harden the rebels' resolve and ensure another 37 years of civil conflict.