Colombian Envoy Quits

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Byline: James Morrison, THE WASHINGTON TIMES

Colombian envoy quits

Colombia's ambassador to the United States resigned this week to protest the appointment of a political rival once accused of ties to drug lords as ambassador to France.

Andres Pastrana, who served in Washington for eight months, announced his departure in Colombia's capital, Bogota, after a six-hour meeting with President Alvaro Uribe on Tuesday. Mr. Uribe upset Mr. Pastrana, a former president, by naming Ernesto Samper to serve in Paris. Mr. Samper, also a former president, later turned down the appointment "in the higher interest of the country," Mr. Uribe announced Tuesday evening.