Minister stays put despite death threats

Press, 30 August 1989, Page 10

Minister stays put despite death threats

NZPA-Reuter Washington Colombia’s Justice Minister, staying in her post in spite of death threats, discussed with the Bush Administration yesterday how to deploy SUS6S million ($llO million) in American aid in the Colombian war against cocaine cartels.

The meeting between the Justice Minister, Monica De Greiff, and the United States Attorney General, Dick Thornburgh was held under unusually tight security and ended speculation that Ms De Greiff had quit in the face of

death threats from drug lords. Colombia adopted several emergency measures, including the reinstatement of an extradition treaty with Washington, after the assassination of a leading presidential candidate and two other officials, apparently at the hands of gunmen backed by drug cartels.

President George Bush last week promised SUS6S million in aid. He also offered American troops, but the Colombian President, Virgilio Barco, said there was no need for direct U.S.

intervention. Thornburgh said he discussed with Ms De Greiff the equipment and training that will be provided to Colombia’s law enforcement and military agencies under the Bush programme. Mr Thornburgh also said he discussed with Ms De Greiff the procedures Colombia would use in extraditing drug figures to the United States to stand trial.

Mr Thornburgh has asked Colombia to arrest and hand over the 12 accused leaders of the Medellin and Cali cocaine car-

tels, which are believed to be responsible for 80 per cent of the cocaine smuggled into the United States.

Another topic discussed involved the SUS2.S million the United States will provide to help protect Colombian judges from the drug lords and possible assistance from other countries for the Colombian judicial system, he said.

The drug barons have threatened to kill 10 Colombian judges for each drug trafficker who is extradited to the United States.