PLAN COLOMBIA

Early day motion 385, tabled 28 February 2001 by Rudi Vis (Labour). Signed by 41 members.

That this House welcomes the European Parliament's vote against the introduction of biological agents into the Colombian Andes as part of Plan Colombia and its resolution to take the necessary steps to secure an end to the large-scale use of chemical herbicides and prevent the introduction of biological agents such as fusarium oxysporum, given the dangers of their use to human health and the environment alike; is concerned, however, that although the United States and the United Nations Drugs Programme have been forced to withdraw immediate plans to test and deploy biological agents in the Andes, they have not renounced the strategy; is further concerned that indiscriminate and aggressive military-led aerial fumigation using chemical herbicides since 22nd December 2000 in Putumayo has destroyed many non-drug crops, that local residents are complaining of intoxication, diarrhoea, vomiting, skin rashes, red eyes, and headaches with children particularly badly affected, that several indigenous Cofan communities have had their traditional medicinal plants, crops, fish hatcheries and livestock destroyed, that five Cofan leaders protesting against fumigation have been assassinated by paramilitaries and that hundreds of families left without sustenance and under attack from paramilitaries have fled into neighbouring Ecuador; and believes there should be an end to all forms of forced fumigation in favour of manual eradication of coca crops combined with social development.

Signatures by party: Labour 34, Liberal Democrat 4, Labour/Co-operative 1, Plaid Cymru 1, UUP 1.