COLOMBIA: U.S. President George W. Bush backs ally Colombia and vows more aid and trade

On his one-day visit to Colombia, U.S. President George W. Bush backs his ally and vows more aid and trade. He also promised continued support for Plan Colombia and drug trafficking while Colombian President Alvaro Uribe defends his record against paramilitaires and rebels. U.S President George W. Bush gave a vote of confidence to Colombia on Sunday (March 11), promising to secure more aid and a trade deal for his close ally President Alvaro Uribe as he fights a rebel insurgency and drug traffickers. The first U.S. president to travel to Bogota in 25 years, Bush's seven-hour visit to the high-altitude capital was the midpoint of a five-nation Latin America tour shadowed by his leftist nemesis, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez. Violence has dropped sharply, but the rebels are still a potent force, mainly in rural areas. Colombia also remains the world's largest cocaine producer, with the United States its biggest market for the 600 tonnes a year it produces. "I'm looking forward to working with you on the second phase or the next phase of Plan Colombia," Bush said. "We're going to work with your government to continue to fight drug trafficking. The United States has an obligation to work to reduce the demand for drugs and at the same time we're to interdict the supply of drugs. There's a lot we can do but part of it is to help you exercise control over all your territory, is to strengthen the rule of law and to expand economic opportunities for the citizens. And we want to help." The two leaders also discussed three U.S. contract workers kidnapped by the FARC in 2003 when their aircraft crashed in southern jungles while on a drug mission. The three men are among hundreds of hostages held by the guerrillas. Bush visit came as Colombia is working to win approval of the aid and trade deal by Democrats in the U.S. Congress, some of whom have expressed concern about human rights and a scandal tying some of Uribe's allies to paramilitary death squads. Bush told reporters he would press Congress to support Uribe's efforts to bring justice those linked to the right-wing paramilitaries who are accused of atrocities, massacres and drug trafficking. "Colombia is the second largest market in Latin America for U.S. farmers," he said. "Trade is beneficial to both countries and it can grow even more with the free trade agreement that we signed in November. I told the President that I will work hard for the passage for that important piece of legislation. I believe that a trade package with Colombia is in the interest of both our nations, Mr. President." Worried about Chavez's growing anti-U.S. influence, Bush is on a tour seeking to improve ties with leaders of the right and moderate left in Latin America, where the Iraq war and U.S. trade and immigration policy have made him deeply unpopular. Bush's closest ally in South America, Colombia has received more than $4 billion in mostly military and anti-narcotics funds from Washington since 2000, one of the largest U.S. assistance packages outside the Middle East. Uribe on Sunday repeatedly defended his U.S.-backed drive, which has reduced violence by weakening Latin America's oldest rebel insurgency and disarming 31,000 illegal paramilitaries who were set up by wealthy landowners to counter the rebels. "This is the first government ever that has begun to pursue paramilitaries militarily, that has actually killed paramilitaries and has sent others to jail," he said. "We are going to eliminate the paramilitaries and we are going to eliminate the guerillas, because we can't fall into the trap that a paramilitary scandal would stop the results of democratic security policies." But some U.S. Democrats have said they want more guarantees before they approve the White House request for $3.9 billion in new aid and a trade deal signed with Colombia. The Bogota visit was meant to highlight security improvements, but the White House was not confident enough to let Bush stay overnight. Bush left Sunday evening headed to conservative ally Guatemala.

ITN Source | March 12, 2007

Tags:. .farmers. .overnight. .eliminate. .sharply. .meant