MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

US anticipates military defeat for the Colombian FARC

Thomas Shannon US Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs said he didn't discard a military defeat of the rebel guerrilla group FARC (Colombian Revolutionary Armed Forces) because of the latest blows it has suffered in recent months from Colombian forces.

"What is happening now is that FARC no longer is what it used to be. Now it's fully engaged in narcotics trade, kidnapping and I don't believe they have the necessary strength for a negotiated end to hostilities", said Shannon interviewed by Colombia's main daily El Espectador. Shannon added that combating the narcotics trade adopted a "different aspect" in Colombia from the moment FARC decided to finance their activities with resources from the trading of cocaine. "Democratic systems must combat these organizations. I don't see how they can not combat them. From the moment insurgents from FARC decide to appeal to drugs as their main source of financing activities, the fight against the drug trade assumes a different aspect. And that's where military power plays a very important role", underlined Shannon. "I understand that this trade generates a high level of confrontation in countries but there's no way of avoiding it. For us in the US war against drugs and the narcotics trade is as natural as the sun, the sky, the clouds. We're also paying dearly for this plague: our youth is suffering, street crime, among other things". The US official insisted Washington will not legalize drug consumption, so the combat both at police and military levels in producing countries will remain at its current level. "United States is not going to legalize drugs' consumption. That simply is not going to happen. We're going to do everything possible to diminish demand, address our social and public health problems, but also supply" he insisted. "This is a necessary and inevitable war for democracies. We must confront organized crime and the drugs cartels which have a clear strategic objective which is making business and debilitating states". In related news the Colombian government revealed this week that FARC will have an army no bigger than 3.000 men by 2009 if guerrillas continue to desert the way they are currently doing. Colombia's high commissioner for Reintegration Frank Pearl revealed that in the first five months of this year, 1.500 fighters from FARC surrendered and expects that number to reach the 3,000 by the end of the year. "If the trend continues, FARC will have less than 3,000 armed soldiers in December" Pearl told El Espectador. However the Colombian Army calculates the present number of armed FARC members at 8.000 and international estimates are even higher.