BY SUSANNAH A. NESMITH
  Associated Press

  BOGOTA - Portions of 14 Colombian states soon will be designated ''rehabilitation zones,'' which will require citizens to register with the government, obtain permission to travel and carry ID cards.

  The zones, part of an effort to fight armed groups, are allowed under a presidential decree issued Tuesday that also permits security forces to conduct warrantless
  searches and hold suspects for 24 hours before consulting a judge. The issuance of such decrees is allowed under a ''state of unrest'' declared in early August by newly elected President Alvaro Uribe.

  The government is preparing to declare the zones in seven regions, covering parts of states where fighting between leftist rebels and right-wing paramilitaries is putting the civilian population in danger, according to a report Sunday in El Tiempo, the nation's largest newspaper.

  In the zones, residents of areas where identification cards have been issued can be detained for up to 24 hours for not carrying the cards.

  A military commander in each zone can collect information about where residents live, what vehicles they use and jobs they hold as well as who has permits to carry guns.

  The government also can restrict travel of foreigners within the zone, a measure that has foreign reporters in Colombia concerned that their ability to cover the conflict will be limited.

  Interior Minister Fernando Londono said in an El Tiempo interview that the powers granted under the state of unrest were ``soft.''

  ''When the decision is made the create a zone, it is because we are facing the probability that something very serious is about to happen to the civilian population,'' he is quoted as saying.

  El Tiempo reported that among the seven regions is a former rebel safe haven the size of Switzerland. The other planned zones cover much of Colombia.

  In the south, Col. Dario Diaz, commander of a U.S.-trained counterdrug brigade, said the new powers will make his job easier. ``There are new procedures that are being studied that we can use, not everywhere, but specifically where we need them, to protect civilians and attack the drug traffickers.''