by Rod Hughes

Former public security minister Fernando Berrocal stuck to his guns in a hard-hitting report to the Legislative Assembly yesterday, presenting 36 pages of testimony that declared the deep penetration of the Colombian FARC guerrilla-terrorist-narcotics trafficking organization deep into Costa Rica. But lawmakers are still waiting for concrete evidence, including the names of Costa Rican politicians Berrocal claims have been turned by FARC.

In early April, Berrocal said he expected Colombian officials to turn up connections between politicians here and FARC terrorists from captured guerrilla records, raising a miniature political tornado. But no such definitive information was forthcoming from the Colombian government. President Oscar Arias reacted to the Berrocal statement was if stung, alleging demogoguery, even going on TV nationawide to disavow it. By mid-April, Berrocal was out on his ear.

But his statements were taken seriously enough to cause lawmakers to name a temporary investigative committee to seek the truth. Before his impolitic declaration, Berrocal had built up a tremendous credibility, his police forces in cooperation with U.S. agencies netting record hauls of smuggled narcotics. His report to congress was awaited with some hope of clearing up the whole affair, including his abrupt dismissal from the President’s cabinet.

Committee chairwoman Mayi Antillon of National Liberation Party expressed disappointment with the Berrocal appearance. “He hasn’t given us proof of (Costa Rican) contacts,” she said. Berrocal is expected to return Monday and Tuesday to answer the 16 committee members’ questions and, if Antillon is any example, they will be direct ones.

A sample of Berrocal’s eloquence in testimony: “All the drugs that pass through Costa Rica come from FARC. In this region 80% of narcotics is from FARC. Now, if that isn’t penetration, I don’t know what is!”

Yes, but as they used to say in the old U.S. TV commercials, “Where’s the beef?”