BUSH PLEDGES TO HELP COLOMBIA FIGHT TERROR

WASHINGTON -(AP)- President Bush promised Colombia's president Wednesday
that the United States will help the South American country win development
aid from international banks and fight terrorists.

"I want to affirm our country's strong desire to help the Colombian
government and the Colombian people prosper and to live in freedom," Bush
said, greeting President Alvaro Uribe at the White House.

That means the Bush administration has a "strong commitment" to working with
the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank and the Inter-American
Development Bank to secure increased aid to Colombia, White House Press
Secretary Ari Fleischer told reporters.

"We look forward to rapid agreement on new programs," Treasury Secretary
Paul O'Neill added.

The presidents exchanged compliments when they addressed reporters a day
after the Justice Department unsealed drug trafficking indictments against
three powerful members of Colombia's right-wing paramilitary forces.

"We look forward to working with President Uribe to hold others into
account," Bush said.

"Terrorists attacked our country and hurt us. If they attack Colombia and
hurt them, they're still equally as guilty, as far as we're concerned. It
doesn't matter who the victim is," he added.

Bush called Uribe, who took office little more than one month ago, "this
good man, this friend of freedom ... a man who told the people of his
country that he would work to eradicate terrorism, narco-trafficking."

"The Colombian people believe him, and so do I," added Bush, who has asked
Congress to provide $450 million for Colombia, mostly for security and
counternarcotics activities.

Uribe credited Bush with providing the world "a very effective example of
the way we need to go on to fight and to defeat terrorism."