"The problem is the C.I.A. people want to collect intelligence and the D.E.A. people want to show good numbers on interdictions and the human rights argument gets short shrift," said Elliott Abrams, who was President Reagan's assistant secretary of state for inter-American affairs.
Nor is it clear whether the suspension represents a larger break with a policy of more direct involvement in Honduras, where the American military has recently built a number of bases for drug interdiction.
President Bush has increased public pressure on North Korea and Iran over their nuclear programs, and the administration is organizing a number of joint military exercises to train for the interdiction of possible shipments.
"The Predators can tell us the vehicle type, number of people on the ground, but it can't identify the person or read a license plate," said a CBP air interdiction agent who asked not to be named because he is involved in undercover drug investigations.
Fox's view reflects a wider trend in Latin America where a number of former and current leaders, including Guatemalan President Otto Perez, are backing alternative approaches to U.S.-backed strategies of eradication and interdiction.
The latter half of each FPC comprises academic air-to-ground weapons delivery and Close Air Support (CAS), as well as advanced Air Interdiction (AI) tactics, the former usually completed during a squadron deployment to the south-western United States in the late spring and early fall, due to the significantly better weather and the sheer number of bombing ranges available.
Similar spirals of violence have been seen in the wake of interdiction efforts in Colombia.
A balanced programme of interdiction; treatment and counselling; and controlled and unadvertised legalised sales of drugs would undermine these profits.
"We are reviewing all avenues toward an effective policy of interdiction," Mr. Bush said.
International naval forces are itching for greater powers of interdiction to stop boats carrying charcoal and weapons, but plans have stalled as the UN Security Council squabbles.
