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US envoy on Latin American tour US envoy on Latin American tour
(about 24 hours later)
US Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte has arrived in Colombia at the start of a four-nation tour of the region aimed at improving ties. US Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte has met Ecuador's President Rafael Correa during a four-nation tour of the region aimed at improving ties.
In the capital, Bogota, Mr Negroponte praised US ties with Colombia and restated support for a free-trade deal. On Wednesday he flies to Ecuador, after which he goes to Peru and Panama. Mr Correa is an ally of Venezuela's left-wing President Hugo Chavez and has criticised US President George W Bush.
Analysts say the visit is a response to accusations the US is neglecting the region and to counter the influence of radical Venezuelan leader Hugo Chavez. But he called on the US to extend a preferential trade deal. Mr Negroponte said that was Mr Bush's intention.
It follows President George W Bush's five-nation tour of the region in March. Mr Negroponte has already visited US ally Colombia, and is set to fly on to Panama and Peru.
Analysts say the tour is a response to accusations the US is neglecting the region and to counter the influence of Mr Chavez.
It follows President Bush's five-nation tour of the region in March.
Trade dealsTrade deals
This is the first diplomatic tour for the former US national intelligence director in his new role at the state department, though he has previously served as a US ambassador in the region. Talks between Mr Negroponte and Mr Correa appear to have been cordial, says the BBC's Americas editor, Will Grant.
In Bogota, he is due to hold talks with President Alvaro Uribe and other top officials. "We want to move forward with long-term commercial ties," said Ecuador's Foreign Affairs Minister Maria Espinosa.
During a visit to a rose plantation, he sought to reassure on a free-trade deal currently awaiting ratification by the US Congress, after Vice President Francisco Santos warned that a lack of progress could affect relations between the two countries. But analysts say the US is carefully watching developments in Ecuador, where Mr Correa recently cancelled a trade-protection deal with the US, said he would close down the American military base in Ecuador, and has thrown out the World Bank representative.
Mr Negroponte said that he hoped Colombia "would soon benefit from the approval by our Congress" of the trade pact. This is the first diplomatic tour for Mr Negroponte, the former US national intelligence director, in his new role at the state department, though he has previously served as a US ambassador in the region.
Later in the tour, he will be warmly welcomed in both Peru and Panama which, along with Colombia, have also signed free-trade agreements with the US, says the BBC's Daniel Schweimler. In Bogota, he held talks with President Alvaro Uribe.
But things will not be so easy for him in Ecuador, where the left-wing president, Rafael Correa, is a firm friend of Mr Chavez, our correspondent says. Mr Negroponte said that he hoped Colombia "would soon benefit from the approval by our Congress" of a bilateral trade pact which is awaiting ratification.
Mr Correa recently cancelled a trade-protection deal with the US; he is closing down the American military base in Ecuador and has thrown out the World Bank representative, our correspondent adds. Colombian Vice President Francisco Santos had warned that a lack of progress on the deal could affect relations between the two countries.
Mr Negroponte is expected to address the issue of the base - used by the US for drug surveillance flights - when he flies to Ecuador on Wednesday.