A U.S. Army general says Colombia does not have enough guns, money, soldiers or police to defeat leftist rebels and stop the flow of narcotics like cocaine into the United States. 

Major General Gary Speer, the acting commander of the U.S. Southern Command, told a U.S. Senate panel Tuesday the current level of U.S. support for Colombia is inadequate. General Speer says without more aid Colombia's military will not be able to re-establish a safe and secure environment for the country's citizens. 

General Speer did credit Colombian President Andres Pastrana for intensifying his military offensive against rebels of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, known as the FARC. 

Last month, President Pastrana ordered the army to retake control of the rebel stronghold in southern Colombia that had been ceded to them in 1998 to jumpstart peace talks. Mr. Pastrana made that decision after declaring the peace process with the rebels over. 

U.S. military aid to Colombia is currently limited to anti-narcotics efforts. Washington is debating whether to revise that policy so Colombia get get direct U.S. aid to fight the rebels. Colombia's civil war has been raging for 38 years. 

General Speer's remarks come one day after the State Department released a report characterizing Colombia's human rights record as poor. The government in Bogota has refuted that report, saying Colombia needs more aid, not critiques, from its U.S. ally. 

Some information for this report provided by Reuters and AP.

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