Germany Supports
Colombia's
Anti-Narcotics Program
Visiting German
Chancellor Angela Merkel
said Saturday that
Germany fully supports
Colombian government's
anti-drug operations and
plans to offer aid to
the Latin American
country's anti-narcotics
program to eradicate
coca plants.
Merkel made the remarks
at a press conference
after meeting with
Colombian President
Alvaro Uribe. The German
chancellor started her
two-day visit to
Colombia Saturday.
German Chancellor Angela
Merkel meets with
Ecuadorean President
Rafael Correa at the
start of a bilateral
meeting at the European
Union-Latin America and
Caribbean Summit (EU-Latam)
in Lima, May 16, 2008.
German Chancellor Angela
Merkel meets with
Ecuadorean President
Rafael Correa at the
start of a bilateral
meeting at the European
Union-Latin America and
Caribbean Summit (EU-Latam)
in Lima, May 16,
2008.(Xinhua/Reuters
Photo)
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Germany is quite
interested in Colombia's
strategy of coca plants
eradication and will
consider offering funds
or technology in aid to
ensure the sustainable
implementation of the
plan, Merkel said.
In 2003, the Colombian
government launched an
anti-narcotics strategy,
encouraging some 66,000
families with allowances
or alternative plants to
give up planting coca, a
raw material for
cocaine. The strategy is
expected to help
eradicate about 100,000
hectares of coca plants
in 2008.
During the meeting,
Merkel and Uribe also
discussed combating
anti-government military
forces in Colombia. The
two governments also
signed two agreements on
increasing German
investments in Colombia
and the cancellation of
export duties.
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