US to support Colombia’s less repressive efforts to curb drug trafficking: Minister
US to support Colombias less repressive efforts to curb drug trafficking: Minister
Posted by Grace Brown on Oct 21, 2015
The United States will support Colombias new counter-narcotics policy that puts more focus on crop restitution rather than aerial fumigation, said Colombias defense minister on Tuesday.
Colombia in September announced that it would begin a crop restitution program for coca farmers after it banned the use of glysophate in aerial fumigation, until earlier this year one of the main forms of combating the crop used for cocaine production.
The South American countrys Defense Minister, Luis Carlos Villegas, met with US drug czar William Brownfield on Monday and said afterwards he had succeeded in reeling in US support for the less repressive policy.
We spoke about the new anti-drugs plan and all of its layers, from the eradication of illicit crops to
money laundering and transport, claimed Villegas, adding that this plan has received important support from the United States government, which is our principal ally in this field.
Earlier this month, US Secretary of State John Kerry had already promised to divert US funds for counternarcotics programs to post-conflict programs that seek the effective restitution of coca crops for legal produce.
More:
http://colombiareports.com/us-to-support-colombias-less-repressive-efforts-to-curb-drug-trafficking/