COLOMBIAN PRESIDENT HOLDS TOWN HALL-STYLE MEETING IN NEW JERSEY

ELIZABETH, N.J. - Colombian President Alvaro Uribe brought a relaxed
political style here Sunday in a freewheeling, town hall-style discussion
that covered topics ranging from identification cards for immigrants to his
negotiations with paramilitary organizations.

Uribe, who attended celebrations at the United Nations last week, met with
a crowd of nearly 3,000 Colombian immigrants in New Jersey, the state with
the nation's third-highest Colombian population.

He praised Colombians for how far the country has come in ending the
violence that has plagued it for decades, but said more work needs to be done.

"If you ask me what Colombia needs, eradicate terrorism, eradicate
corruption, and help the poor," said Uribe, who spoke in Spanish.

The president, who enjoys tremendous support in his home country and with
many of those who showed up for Sunday's meeting, was met with a standing
ovation and cheers of "Viva Uribe!" as many in the crowd waved Colombian flags.

Others cheered "Uno, dos, tres, Uribe otra vez!" or, "One, two, three,
Uribe another time!" Uribe's term expires next year, and he'd like to run
another time but the country's Constitutional Court still must decide
whether legally he's allowed to.

Uribe swept to power in 2002 on promises he would defeat the leftist
guerrillas that have been fighting the government for four decades. He has
also won praise from the United States for taking steps like aerial
spraying and extraditing drug traffickers to the United States to cut back
on the drug trade.

"No one has fought the war on terror, and the war on narcotics more
strongly and more effectively and more in partnership with the United
States than President Uribe has," said U.S. Sen. Jon Corzine, who attended
the event, along with Rep. Robert Menendez, D-Hoboken.

But the president has also been criticized for failing to protect human
rights, and some say he has been too lenient on the right-wing paramilitary
organizations that were formed to protect against the guerillas.

Many Colombians came to the United States to escape the violence. During
the Sunday meeting Uribe said he would be tough with the paramilitary
groups that won't negotiate a peace deal, but generous with those who do.
Many in the crowd praised Uribe for what they described as his role in
ending the violence.

"The security situation in Colombia was very difficult. It was very
difficult to travel around the country. I think now we have a safer place,"
said Orlando Munoz, a lawyer from Colombia who works for a law firm in New
York.

The bulk of Sunday's meeting had to do with issues vital to Colombians
living in the U.S., many of whom are in the country illegally.

One topic was the efforts by the Colombian embassies and consulates in the
United States to issue identification cards to all Colombians, since many
of them have no legal identification documents.

Another concern was gaining legal status for many Colombians already here.
Legislation sponsored by Sens. John McCain (R-Arizona) and Edward Kennedy
(D-Mass.) that would give guest-workers visas to stay in the United States.

Uribe also asked people in the audience to discuss remittances, a way in
which many Colombians working in the United States send money to family
back home. Remittances are a vital part of the Colombian economy, but many
in the audience complained about the taxes and fees associated with sending
money internationally that eats into what they can send home.

The Colombian president holds many similar town-hall style discussions in
Colombia, but organizers said this was the first one he's done in the
United States.

In keeping with the relaxed atmosphere, Uribe went tieless and often
interrupted people when their questions seemed to drag on. At one point in
the discussion that lasted roughly three hours, Uribe walked offstage after
receiving a phone call but later returned.