Luis Alberto Moreno, the Colombian ambassador to the United States, and U.S. Congressman Maurice Hinchey (D-N.Y.) will discuss Plan Colombia, the $7.5 billion strategy aimed at breaking the grip of drug traffickers and negotiating with left-wing guerillas in that country, at a conference at Cornell University Saturday, March 3. It is free and open to the public.

"Plan Colombia – Is It the Solution?" will be held from 1 to 4 p.m. in Call Auditorium of Kennedy Hall on campus. It is organized by the Colombian Student Association and the Latin American Studies Program (LASP) at Cornell.

Moreno, who will speak at 1:15 p.m., has served as ambassador to the United States since 1998. He is credited with achieving a dramatic improvement in Colombian-U.S. bilateral relations and engaging in a successful effort to win congressional passage of more than $1 billion in U.S. aid to his country. He has served in several government posts, as well as positions in the private sector.

Hinchey will give a congressional perspective of Plan Colombia at 3 p.m. Elected to the House of Representatives in 1992 after serving in the New York State Assembly, he now serves on the House Appropriations Committee and the Joint Economic Committee of Congress.

Juan Carlos Londoño of the Colombian Student Association will open the program at 1 p.m. The moderator will be Mary Jo Dudley, associate director of LASP.