Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: MONDAY, June 4, 1990                   TAG: 9006040210
SECTION: EDITORIAL                    PAGE: A6   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

COLOMBIA

Three presidential candidates have been assassinated in less than a year, apparently on orders from drug lords. Enough to send anyone left running for cover.

Cesar Gaviria Trujillo did take cover, in a sense. But only after picking up the fallen banner from Luis Carlos Galan, whose campaign he had managed before Galan was slain last August.

During the last weeks of the race, Gaviria campaigned from a bunker, emerging only after donning a bulletproof vest. He pledged that his incumbent Liberal Party would continue the fight against the drug ring waged by the outgoing president, Virgilio Barco Vargas.

That war has made inroads on the illicit commerce, led to the arrests of several traffickers, and brought about impoundment of their vehicles, airplanes and equipment. The drug cartel has answered with terrorism and violence - but it also sued for peace, the best sign that it was being hurt.

Bravely, the Colombia government declined to make peace on the cartel's terms, which would have precluded key traffickers' being extradited to the United States for trial. In accord with the strategy of last February's anti-drug summit in Central America, Washington is sending military aid and is changing trade policies to boost Colombia's economy.

The Colombian people have shown courage too. Despite threats of Election Day violence, 45 percent of eligible voters turned out last week - not much less than the proportion who choose presidents in the peaceful United States. They gave a 47 percent plurality to Gaviria.

The new president won't be able to govern from a bunker. He will have to demonstrate continued resolve to cope with the crime and corruption caused by drug lords whose main market is the United States.

Washington should give him all possible assistance - while pondering an example of courage that many of our own politicians could take to heart.