Bush praises Colombian prez during DC visit

Colombian president Alvaro Uribe is ''a true democrat, a strong leader and a friend'' according to U.S. President George W. Bush who met with Uribe this morning at the White House (image). Bush went on to add that a free trade between both countries is more than an economic pact and it represents “strategic interests” in the region.

Uribe’s reception in the U.S. capital has been mixed; according to El Tiempo he was received by a standing ovation at the Council of the Americas though he was greeted by dozens of protestors before speaking at the Center for American Progress.

Uribe will be in Washington until Friday in order to promote free trade and to defend his administrations’ increasingly controversial ties to right-wing paramilitary groups. An integral part of Uribe’s strategy will be to convince Democrats in Congress who have been increasingly doubtful of him. To wit, Uribe’s staff has hired a lobbying firm with close ties to Democratic politicians.

isacson at Plan Colombia and Beyond provides a pretty good list of pros and cons of Uribe. (I won’t get nit-picky over the summary though my personal views on Uribe tend to gravitate towards the “cons”.)

Uribe’s time in DC will not be exclusively lobbying and speeches; tomorrow night he will receive the Light unto the Nations Award from the American Jewish Committee.

Links- Miami Herald, El Tiempo, RCN, Council of the Americas, Center for American Progress, The Latin Americanist, ABC News, CNN, earthtimes.org, Plan Colombia and Beyond

Image- BBC News