COLOMBIAN PRESIDENT SEEKS MORE U.S. AID TO FIGHT REBELS

WASHINGTON - (KRT) - While revving up his military forces back home,
Colombian President Alvaro Uribe flew to the U.S. capital on Monday seeking
trade and international loans to help finance a growing war against
narco-funded terrorism.

Uribe arrived here 45 days after his bombing-marred inauguration, a hawkish
new president on a diplomatic mission with economic overtones.

The embattled president plans to assure U.S. officials that Colombia's
upper classes now are willing to pay the taxes and make the sacrifices to
wage a real war. Uribe hopes this commitment will help leverage new
international loans and keep U.S. aid flowing while the government fights
both leftist armies and right-wing paramilitaries.

"It has been resolved on the side of Colombians to make the kind of
sacrifice to really to make a difference in the fight against terrorism."
Colombian Ambassador Luis Alberto Moreno told reporters while outlining
Uribe's four-day visit to Washington and New York. "I think that is the
mood in Colombia that didn't exist four years ago."

Uribe's visit comes amid U.S. preoccupation with the larger war on
terrorism and renewed skepticism about the prospects for success in the
Andean drug war. Critics continue to question Colombia's human rights
record, fret about the environmental impact of drug-crop fumigation and
scoff at the Colombian military's willingness to confront paramilitary forces.

Perhaps most significant has been skepticism on Capitol Hill about the
commitment of Colombians, especially those in the upper classes, to send
their sons into military service and otherwise contribute to the war effort.

Uribe responded by proposing steep tax hikes to help pay for new part-time
militias and to nearly double the professional army to 100,000 troops.

He comes to Washington with a very different mandate than his predecessor,
Andres Pastrana, who arrived here four years ago while trying to negotiate
a peace settlement. Pastrana finally abandoned the peace effort, leading to
Uribe's overwhelming election and a hardline military strategy designed to
deal with leftists, drug lords and paramilitaries as enemies in an
interwoven campaign against terrorism.

President Bush has embraced Uribe's strategy, and State Department
officials said on Monday that they were prepared to help him obtain
favorable international loans and continued U.S. aid.

The administration has proposed spending $437 million on Colombian
security, law enforcement and social programs in next year's budget,
including $98 million to secure a frequently attacked oil pipeline.
Congress has yet to approve the request.

Uribe will make the rounds on Capitol Hill on Tuesday before meeting on
Wednesday with Bush and several Cabinet members. On Thursday, Uribe travels
to New York to meet with officials of the World Bank and International
Monetary Fund.

He met on Monday with Colombian-American leaders from several states,
including Florida, who came to Washington to lend support but also to ask
Congress to allow recent arrivals from Colombia to legally remain in this
country.

Roughly 2 million Colombians reside in the United States, including an
estimated 400,000 in Florida.

"It's important for his (Uribe's) administration to move forward and get
U.S. support, especially when it's confirmed that narcotics trafficking is
directly linked with terrorism," said Fabio Andrade of Miami, vice
president of the Colombian-American Coalition. "We must assure members of
Congress we support these plans."