(5 May 1998) Spanish/Nat
General Charles Wilhelm, chief of the U-S Southern Command, was on Tuesday continuing his visit to Colombia.
His visit has highlighted the Clinton administration's concern about the deteriorating military situation in Colombia.
Wilhelm has publicly stated that Colombian rebels have seized the initiative and that the worsening conflict is the most serious challenge facing the U-S military in Latin America.
The chief of the Miami-based U-S Southern Command met top Colombian ministers and military officials in Bogota on Monday.
General Charles Wilhelm and Colombian Defence Minister Gilberto Echeverri met with the sole purpose of improving relations between the two countries.
Wilhelm's visit underlines U-S concern about the deteriorating military situation in Colombia.
The general has described the armed conflict in Colombia as the source of great worries for the U-S military.
In a written report, he stated that Colombia's army was unable to defeat guerrilla operations and warned that the rebels had the upper hand in the conflict.
On Monday, reporters asked Defence Minister Echeverri whether the U-S intended to increase its military presence in Colombia.
But he said that the sole aim of Wilhelm's visit was to gain a greater understanding of the problems faced by the Colombian armed forces.
SOUNDBITE: (Spanish)
"(The Americans are here) for international relations, so that the officials can meet each other and to understand the area and I know that they will take with them a clear idea of what happened at Caguan (province) and more about Colombian geography, the mountains ... also they will be better informed."
(Q: "What is not clear is that no troops will arrive from the US and no forces. What the government has not made clear is that it does not need this.)
"The government are not going to ask (for military help) neither have the Americans offered it."
SUPER CAPTION: Gilberto Echeverri, Colombian Minister of Defence
Only a month ago, the Colombian army suffered its most humiliating blow in three decades when it was unable to defeat rebels in the southern province of Caqueta.
The rebels killed 83 people and took 43 hostages.
The F-A-R-C (Colombian Revolutionary Armed Forces) has rejected Wilhelm's comments, saying they were just an excuse to justify the U-S military presence.
Wilhelm, however, denies these claims.
He says the 200 American military personnel currently stationed in the country are there to provide Colombian troops with counter-narcotics training.
Find out more about AP Archive: [ Ссылка ]
Twitter: [ Ссылка ]
Facebook: [ Ссылка ]
Instagram: [ Ссылка ]
You can license this story through AP Archive: [ Ссылка ]
