Bi-National Committe states Colombia can fumigate coca crops closer to Ecuador’s border

colombiareports.com reported a bi-national committee has concluded that Colombia can fumigate coca crops closer to Ecuador’s border, Colombian newspaper El Tiempo reported on Friday. The technical committee, composed of both Colombian and Ecuadorian government officials, said that the current 10-kilometer buffer zone in place since 2005 can be reduced by half to 5 kilometers. The agreement comes one year after Colombia agreed to pay $15 million in compensation to Ecuadorians over alleged damage caused by the glyphosate herbicide used for fumigation. Following the announcement of the payment, Ecuador agreed to retract its 2008 formal complaint to the International Court of Justice over said damage. Read Article