CANADA WILL SEND THE MOUNTIES TO HELP COLOMBIA FIGHT DRUG TRADE

CARTAGENA, Colombia ( CP ) - Foreign Minister Lloyd Axworthy has committed Canada to help Colombia in its struggle against the drug trade.

Axworthy emerged from talks yesterday with Colombian President Andres Pastrana and U.S.  Secretary of State Madeleine Albright to tell of several Canadian initiatives he said he hopes will contribute to stability and security in the strife-torn country.

Under an agreement signed Friday, an unspecified number of RCMP officers will be sent to Colombia to help train police in human-rights issues and to help in the fight against drug-trafficking and money-laundering, Axworthy said in a telephone interview.

The agreement calls for Canada and Colombia to "exchange experiences and practices" to deal with drug trafficking, the chemicals used to produce illicit drugs, and money-laundering.

The two countries will also co-operate on promoting treatment and rehabilitation for Colombians affected by the drug trade.

"Illicit drug-trafficking is a major challenge facing all of us in the Americas," Axworthy said.

He added that increasingly, countries that supply illicit drugs are "being infected as much by the drug traffic" as the consuming countries.

Axworthy said Canada will provide an as-yet undetermined amount of funding for more community programs designed to wean Colombian youth away from the drug culture and retrain them.

He said the Canadian International Development Agency is reviewing its programming in Colombia, where it spends about $15 million to $20 million a year already.  Canada also contributes to U.N.  programs in Colombia.

Axworthy said Canada also hopes to be able to help with negotiations between the Colombian government and guerrillas to end a civil war that has gone on for more than 30 years and has killed an estimated 35,000 people and created 1.2 million refugees.

He said the Canadian contribution would be similar to its efforts in Northern Ireland, where Gen.  John de Chastelain heads the disarmament commission to dispose of weapons of paramilitary organizations.