COLOMBIAN LEADER SEEKS TRADE PACT

WASHINGTON -- Colombian President Alvaro Uribe's stand against guerrillas
and his backing for the Iraq war have won him strong praise from top US
officials. But on a trip to Washington this week, he'll have difficulty
winning commitments for one of his top priorities: a free-trade pact.

Uribe met with President Bush at the White House yesterday, launching three
days of meetings with top administration officials and congressional
leaders.

''We've got all kinds of opportunities to work together, whether it be in
trade, counter-narcotics, or fighting terror,'' Bush said in the Oval
Office, where he and Uribe met briefly with reporters. ''We'll stand as a
strong friend and supporter of the Colombian people as they take on
difficult tasks.''

Uribe has been lauded in Washington for aggressively fighting rebel groups
regarded by the State Department as terrorists. By contrast, his
predecessor, Andres Pastrana, ceded a demilitarized zone to the largest
guerrilla group, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, during three
fruitless years of negotiations.

''The man is absolutely committed to fighting terror,'' Bush said. ''He has
got a straightforward, strong vision about what has to happen to people who
are willing to kill innocent people -- and that is they must be dealt with
severely.''

Rebels have responded to Uribe's measures by targeting major cities for
terrorist attacks, including a Feb. 7 bombing of a Bogota social club that
killed 36 people.

Uribe pledged to stand firm against terrorists in his country.

''We are telling them you have the opportunity to follow the ringleaders of
the terror organizations, or you have the opportunity to come to live in our
community,'' Uribe said.

Uribe has also lifted limits on US-funded drug spraying operations in
Colombia, leading to a decline in Colombian production of coca, the raw
material for cocaine.

In the province of Putumayo, one of the main coca-producing areas, all but
1,500 of the 39,000 hectares of coca fields have been eradicated, according
to figures released yesterday by the White House drug policy office.

Colombia was the only South American nation to join the US-led coalition to
topple Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein, although it was unable to provide troops
or material support.

''Colombia has suffered terrorism for a long time,'' Uribe said. ''Colombia
understands the need to fight terrorists in our country and in any other
country. Your government, your people, your country -- they are our best
allies for us to succeed in our fight.''

During his visit, Uribe is seeking trade benefits and continued financial
assistance.

Before leaving for Washington, Uribe said he would push for a bilateral
free-trade agreement with the United States. That would boost the economy by
giving Colombian exporters freer access to US markets.

US officials, however, have been more focused on developing a
hemisphere-wide free-trade zone, the Free Trade Area of the Americas, or
FTAA. Even if talks were to begin with Colombia, it is unlikely they could
be completed before the FTAA, which negotiators hope to complete by 2005.

Colombia is already the third-largest recipient of US foreign aid, with
Washington providing nearly $2.5 billion in mostly military assistance over
the past four years. The president's budget proposal for next year includes
$463 million in anti-drug aid for Colombia.

Today, Uribe will meet with congressional leaders who will consider the
request. Many lawmakers have criticized the aid because of concerns about
the Colombian military's human rights record and the danger of the United
States becoming deeply involved in the country's 38-year civil war.

Some lawmakers doubt that fumigation will affect drug supplies in the United
States, saying it will merely cause traffickers to relocate. While coca
production is falling in Colombia, it is rising in neighboring Peru and
Bolivia.