Colombia's Uribe backs ministers

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Colombian President Alvaro Uribe has backed his vice president and defence minister after a paramilitary leader said he had had meetings with them.

The claims came during testimony by Salvatore Mancuso, a boss of the united self-defence forces of Colombia (AUC).

Mr Mancuso was testifying as part of a peace deal offering reduced jail terms to former militia members.

The scandal has raised warning bells in Washington, which funds Colombia with more than $700m a year.

'Para-politica' scandal

Answering clamours from the media for comment, Mr Uribe said he believed in the moral integrity of Vice President Francisco Santos and his cousin, Defence Minister Juan Manuel Santos.

The Santos cousins were implicated in testimony presented in court by Mr Mancuso, who said he had been at several meetings with the men up to 1997, before either achieved the offices they now hold.

The revelations are just the latest in a scandal known as the "para-politica", which has seen 12 congressmen imprisoned and dozens more politicians investigated for links with the AUC paramilitaries.