ROSEMARY CHURCH, WORLD NEWS: Colombia's largest leftist rebel group is holding internationally sponsored talks on drug smuggling. Diplomats from about 20 countries are attending the talks, which have been approved by Colombia's government as part of the peace process. CNN's Steve Nettleton has more.</s>STEVE NETTLETON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In a small hamlet on the fringe of the Amazon jungle, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, known by their Spanish acronym the FARC, invited ambassadors from Europe and the Americas to meet dozens of coca and poppy planters who say the government's fumigation efforts are destroying their farms, ruining their local economies and causing severe environmental damage. The farmers and rebels want the international community to subsidize programs to develop alternative crops such as rubber, rice and cattle farming. Notably absent from the conference was the United States, whose Congress is putting the final touches on $1.3 billion aid package that will significantly boost the Colombian military's ability to strike at cocaine and heroin producers. The strike - Plan Colombia - a multi-billion dollar strategy to bring an end to the country's nearly 40-year civil war and stop narcotics trafficking. The United States says its aid is not designed to help Colombia fight a war against guerrillas. But the FARC, which controls much of the territory to be targeted by anti-drug efforts, sees the aid package as a direct threat. Although the FARC and the government began peace talks last year, progress has been slow, and some political analysts fear that the U.S. military aid could cause the peace process to unravel. Faced with this prospect of renewed combat, the FARC hopes its conference will stimulate international opposition to Plan Colombia. But it also sees another equally important benefit from hosting a gathering of world VIPs - a chance for long-sought international recognition. Steve Nettleton, CNN, Los Probos (ph), Colombia.
Colombia Rebels Host High-Profile Drug Talks