MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Bush promises more aid for Colombia.

United States president George Bush pledged Monday continued support for the Colombian government in its fight against drug barons and Marxist oriented guerrillas that have ravaged the country for decades.

During a six hour visit to Colombia on his return from the APEC summit in Chile, President Bush told his counterpart Alvaro Uribe he would ask the US Congress to extend the current package of military and economic aid.

Mr. Bush arrived in the colonial Colombian Caribbean city of Cartagena where a massive security operation was mounted including 15,000 troops and US security agents, helicopter air cover, Coast Guard surveillance, submarines and even an aircraft carrier just outside territorial waters.

Conservative President Uribe is the region's closest US ally, who after having been elected with over 50% of the vote and with strong aid from Washington has been battling with success the drug traffickers and guerrillas. Over five years Colombia has received three billion US dollars in assistance.

Contrary to previous presidents who favoured some sort of dialogue with the long entrenched guerrillas and drug barons that at one time controlled 25% of Colombian territory, Mr. Uribe appealed to strong military action and draconian anti drugs legislation, including the feared US extradition, which has opened the way for constitutional reform and his possible re-election.

"This war against narco-terrorism can and will be won, Colombia is well on its way to that victory", said President Bush. "The drug traffickers who practice violence and intimidation in this country send their addictive and deadly products to the United States", he added, emphasizing that "defeating them is vital to the safety of our peoples and to the stability of this hemisphere".

President Uribe said he would fight on until Colombia was free of the scourge of drugs, "we cannot stop this task halfway. We will win but we have not won yet. We have made progress but the serpent is still alive".

The Colombian president determined efforts in fighting guerrillas and drug traffickers has resulted in bipartisan support from US Democrat and Republican administrations although there have been repeated claims of "clandestine" military operations and humans rights abuse.