COLOMBIA NETS PRAISE FROM BUSH

President Lauds Nation's Anti-Illegal Drug Programs

CARTAGENA, Colombia -- Under a security web of planes, warships and
15,000 troops, President Bush praised Colombia's battle against drugs
and Marxist guerrillas Monday and pledged to keep U.S. aid flowing so
``this courageous nation can win its war against narcoterrorists.''

In a country that is the world's largest producer of cocaine and a
major supplier of heroin, Bush said President Alvaro Uribe is
achieving results with a massive aerial fumigation program against
coca -- the main ingredient in cocaine -- and an aggressive military
buildup against insurgents, who fund themselves through drug
trafficking, kidnapping and extortion.

``The number of acres under cultivation are down significantly,'' Bush
said, standing with Uribe in shirt sleeves at seaside lecterns. ``The
number of arrests are up. The number of murders is down. In other
words, this man's plan is working.''

Uribe said Colombia is winning the fight, but has not yet won. ``We
have made progress but the serpent is still alive,'' Uribe said.

Bush's pledge reaffirms U.S. commitments to a $3.3 billion, five-year
military aid program known as Plan Colombia. Bush said the plan
launched in August 2000 enjoys widespread support in Congress and that
he would work with lawmakers to keep it funded. Without mentioning a
specific figure, Bush said he would seek enough funds to make the plan
effective.

Bush left Cartagena for his Texas ranch to spend the Thanksgiving
holiday, arriving in early evening. At Uribe's urging, he stopped off
in this Caribbean seaport city after attending a summit in Chile of 21
Pacific Rim leaders. Security was tight.

U.S. Navy commandoes, toting assault rifles and peering through
binoculars, patrolled the Caribbean in rubber boats where submarines
and warships already plied the waters. Warplanes and helicopters
provided air cover while 15,000 Colombian security forces were
deployed around the city for Bush's brief stay.

Bush was here to strengthen relations in Latin America, but he also
responded to news from Iran, which claimed it had frozen all uranium
enrichment activities. The United States believes Iran is developing
nuclear weapons.

Sounding skeptical about Iran's claim, Bush said, ``Well, let's say I
hope it's true.''

But unwilling to take Iran's word, Bush said, Iran must allow for
verification of its claims. ``I think the definition of truth is the
willingness for the Iranian regime to allow for verification,'' the
president said.

Since Uribe came to power two years ago, Plan Colombia has helped jail
scores of traffickers and reduce the coca crop by 20 percent for two
years in a row, according to the White House.

And the battle against rebel groups -- the Revolutionary Armed Forces
of Colombia, known by its Spanish acronym FARC, and the National
Liberation Army, known as the ELN -- is being expanded from the
capital of Bogota to more rural areas. Still, the efforts have still
failed to visibly reduce cocaine production or keep it off U.S.
streets. And the 40-year-old insurgency continues to claim an
estimated 3,500 lives every year.

Bush said the outcome of the battle was critical to security in both
nations.

``The drug traffickers who practice violence and intimidation in this
country send their addictive and deadly products to the United
States,'' Bush said. ``Defeating them is vital to the safety of our
peoples and to the stability of this hemisphere.''

While in Cartagena, Bush met with Orlando Cabrera, a Colombian native
who plays for the world champion Boston Red Sox, and shook hands with
more than a dozen elementary school-aged baseball players.

One of the youngsters presented Bush with jersey emblazoned with
Cabrera's No. 44.

"He just missed it by one number,'' joked Bush, the 43rd president of
the United States.