mr. chairman , i thank the distinguished gentleman for yielding me time . 
i think he realizes that some of us who have met with leadership from colombia recognize that there are multiple problems , and certainly the resources needed to interdict drug traffickers responds to a series of those problems . 
so i rise in support of the gentleman 's amendment . 
but i hope as well in listening to my colleague and friend , the gentleman from massachusetts ( mr. mcgovern ) xz4002630 , that we also emphasize the impoverishment of that area . 
this week i met with the governor of the region that governs afro-colombians . 
it is a region very small , but well populated . 
in addition to these resources , they are , if you will , isolated by law enforcement to protect them against the drug cartels and violence . 
they are lacking in educational resources and health resources . 
i hope that we will have the opportunity to acknowledge the needs of afro-colombians , those who are descendents of the continent of africa and former slaves . 
they want to work with the colombian government , but they need more resources . 
we in the united states can give them the strength and also the backbone and pressure to ask colombia to provide them with more resources . 
drug interdiction is needed and necessary , but we must stop the poverty for those who can not survive . 
mr. chairman , i rise in support of this amendment though not without reservation . 
fighting the war on drugs is an important part of creating a safe and stable hemisphere and mr. burton xz4000550 must be thanked for his efforts to assist the colombian government in fighting drug trafficking . 
drug trafficking is the cause of many evils that befall upon our society . 
it creates violence and feeds off of the weakest members of society . 
we must take every effort to root out this heinous activity in all corners of the world . 
the burton amendment will help to wage the war on drugs and will make it more difficult for colombian drug traffickers to export their products . 
i support this amendment for those reasons , yet acknowledge that there is an entire other part of the war on drugs that we must face . 
our anti-drug activities in the region must also take the shape of social development programs . 
we must insist that our actions in the war on drugs are not simply military programs , but social and economic as well . 
to truly win the war on drugs we must take action to help sectors of colombian society most adversely affected . 
these communities ; the poor , indigenous , and afro-colombians , are most often the worst affected from the violence associated with the drug trade . 
the social marginalization that these groups already face is exacerbated intensely by the conflict . 
in our course of action in the war on drugs we must be vigilant in maintaining support for the socially marginalized . 
we can not accept the undue burden placed on these groups as an acceptable side effect of the andean counter-drug initiative . 
the current situation in regions where these groups reside is unacceptable . 
choc , a province consisting of approximately 75 percent afro-colombian inhabitants , is perhaps the most adversely affected region of colombia as a result of the armed conflict . 
in 2003 the region had the highest number of internally displaced persons in the country . 
as the only province with access to both the atlantic and the pacific oceans it has been a highly desirable location for drug traffickers . 
with little or no government presence in the region , its inhabitants have had virtually no means to halt this invasion of drug traffickers . 
i recently met with mr. julio ibarguen , governor of choc , and he could not emphasize enough the necessity of more assistance to the afro-colombian population . 
the afro-colombian population was already impoverished , marginalized , and discriminated against . 
governor ibarguen illustrated how the conflict worsened this already horrible situation . 
the afro-colombian community has literally been decimated by the armed conflict and has been forcibly dispersed through colombia . 
those who have remained in choc are faced with little or no access to healthcare , education , or law enforcement . 
approximately 80 percent of afro-colombians live in extreme poverty . 
in the war on drugs , afro-colombians have become the forgotten victims of the conflict . 
we must strive to ensure that their plight is not overshadowed by our efforts to eradicate drug trafficking . 
we must insist that the u.s. government provide more aid to afro-colombian regions . 
american resources must be used to help alleviate the pain and suffering on the part of afro-colombians and provide them access to a better , more stable , livelihood . 
members of congress should take an active role in working with their colombian counterparts and must convince the colombian government that the united states is interested in the well-being of colombia 's minority populations . 
during this time of conflict and distress for afro-colombians , the united states must be vigilant in providing support and assistance . 
i support the burton amendment because it assists the colombian government in fighting the war on drugs . 
we must take our commitment to fight this war , and match it with a commitment to support the victims of the colombian conflict . 
attention must be paid to afro-colombian populations so that they receive the aid they deserve . 
we must use our resources to fight drugs and poverty , corruption and racism , and insurgency and bigotry . 
