Bush pledges support for Colombia
As border tensions in the region escalate, the president says the U.S. will stand by the country in its fight against 'narco-terrorists.'
WASHINGTON -- President Bush today pledged U.S. support for Colombia amid heightening tensions with Venezuela and Ecuador.
Criticizing "provocative maneuvers" by Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez and a "continuing assault by narco-terrorists," Bush said he called Colombia President President Alvaro Uribe today to reassure him of continued U.S. backing.
"I told the president that America fully supports Colombia's democracy, and that we firmly oppose any acts of aggression that could destabilize the region," Bush said in a statement. "I told him that America will continue to stand with Colombia as it confronts violence and terror and fights drug traffickers."
Over the weekend, Colombian troops staged a helicopter raid on a guerrilla camp in Ecuador that killed a top commander of the leftist rebels, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC. Both Colombia and the United States view FARC as narco-terrorists. Ecuador and its ally Venezuela responded by moving troops to their borders with Colombia.
Bush said that Uribe told him one important protection for Colombia is congressional approval of a free-trade agreement that has already been negotiated.
"My message to the United States Congress is that this trade agreement is more than a matter of smart economics, it is a matter of natural security," Bush said. "If we fail to approve this agreement, we will let down our close ally, we will damage our credibility in the region, and we will embolden the demagogues in our hemisphere."
A senior State Department official, declining to comment on reports that U.S. intelligence had tipped Colombia to the FARC position, held out hope for a diplomatic solution.
"People are pretty much focused on the diplomatic track," said the official, who declined to be named because of the sensitive nature of the situation. "I don't think anyone expects it will lead to anything else."
johanna.neuman@latimes.com
paul.richter@latimes.com
