COLOMBIA'S URIBE TO VISIT U.S.

BOGOTA, Colombia -- During a crucial trip to the United States that begins
Sunday, Colombia's President-elect Alvaro Uribe expects to find support for
his plans to fight drugs and a decades-old guerrilla war.

But with a scandal here over the possible misuse of U.S. drug-fighting aid,
the Harvard-educated former state governor will have to overcome concerns
to secure more money from Washington.

Elected in a landslide on a law-and-order platform, the 49-year-old Uribe
will appeal to Washington for additional funds to stop shipments of cocaine
and heroine from flooding across Colombia's borders.

The drug trade fuels a 38-year civil conflict pitting leftist rebels
against paramilitary fighters and government troops that kills thousands of
people every year.

On Saturday, police said the leftist Revolutionary Armed Forces of
Colombia, or FARC, killed five police officers and blew up a private
helicopter in Cundinamarca province.

The policemen were ambushed by the rebels while trying to deliver money
from the aircraft to a nearby bank, said Gen. Jorge Enrique Linares of the
National Police.

In northern Magdalena state, a human rights official said on Saturday that
two children were killed when a military warplane targeting leftist rebels
accidentally bombed their home.

The sister of the two dead children - 12 and 14 - lost her leg in the
attack Friday, Licet Penaranda, director of the state's human rights
office, told The Associated Press. Army spokesman Capt. Jose Florez said he
had no information on the killings.

The United States has provided $1.7 billion in mostly military aid over the
past two years to help Colombia curb the narcotics industry.

Earlier this month, the Colombian government launched an investigation of
60 police officers - including high-ranking counter-drug officers -
stemming from the disappearance of more than $2 million in U.S. funds
slated for the drug war.

Although the U.S. Embassy has downplayed the scandal, it may prompt
Washington officials to demand that Uribe clamp down on institutions
receiving U.S. dollars, said Michael Shifter, an analyst at the
Inter-American Dialogue in Washington.

"I do think it kind of reinforces a sense that has been in Washington for
some time - that this whole program is perhaps not going as well as some
would have hoped," Shifter said.

The growing scandal has reportedly led to tense relations between
drug-fighting forces and the U.S. Embassy. However, a U.S. embassy official
who spoke on condition of anonymity said recently that officials remain
confident in the police.

During the five-day trip, Uribe is scheduled to meet separately with
Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld; Secretary of State Colin Powell; Sen.
Joseph R. Biden Jr., D-Del., chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations
Committee; and Condoleeza Rice, President Bush's national security adviser.

Uribe's visit comes as Washington considers lifting restrictions on the
drug-fighting aid to allow the Colombian government to use it to battle
armed groups.

The Bush administration is also asking Congress for $133 million to train
Colombian soldiers to protect a lucrative oil pipeline - plus $439 million
in longer-term aid.

In addition to outline his plans for the war against drugs and insurgents,
Uribe will also explain how he plans to stimulate the country's dismal
economy, said Martha Lucia Ramirez, Uribe's newly appointed defense minister.

"It's indispensable to share (those plans) with the United States, which is
a friend of Colombia and our partner," said Ramirez.

Uribe's success in securing more aid will also depend on whether he can
convince lawmakers that his government will battle the right-wing
paramilitary army - a key condition on previous U.S. aid.

Before his talks in Washington, Uribe is scheduled to meet with U.N.
Secretary-General Kofi Annan in New York to ask the United Nations to
contact rebel leaders and probe their willingness to restart peace talks.

Uribe has said he is ready to talk with insurgents if they first declare a
cease fire and an end to hostilities - goals that eluded President Andres
Pastrana during more than three years of talks with the rebels.