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Rice talks trade on Colombia trip Rice talks trade on Colombia trip
(about 2 hours later)
US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has been meeting Colombian President Alvaro Uribe on the second day of a trip aimed at promoting free trade. US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has been meeting Colombian President Alvaro Uribe at the end of a trip to promote a free trade pact.
Earlier, Colombian union leaders had urged Ms Rice to approve a deal which they said would help spur greater economic growth in Colombia. Earlier, union leaders urged Ms Rice to approve a deal they said would spur greater economic growth in Colombia.
The Democrat-controlled US Congress has so far refused to approve the deal.The Democrat-controlled US Congress has so far refused to approve the deal.
It is concerned about Colombia's human rights record and government officials' alleged links with right-wing militias. Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez said the US and Colombia were plotting "military aggression" against his country, but provided no evidence.
Colombia's tense relations with neighbouring Venezuela were expected to be high on the agenda in Friday's meeting between Ms Rice and Mr Uribe. The Venezuelan leader said that this was the real reason for Ms Rice's visit to Colombia, which he called a "pawn of the North American empire".
Show of support Mr Chavez said it would be "very difficult" for Venezuela to normalize relations with Colombia amid diplomatic tensions with Mr Uribe's government.
Her visit is being seen as a show of support for the US's closest ally in the region. 'Violent reputation'
The White House says Colombia has made great gains in the war on drugs and terrorism, and is a counter-balance to what Washington sees as the increasingly hostile Venezuelan leader, President Hugo Chavez. Democratic support in Congress is vital if the President George W Bush's administration is to put the free trade deal into effect.
Mr Chavez, meanwhile, spoke out on Friday arguing it would be "very difficult" to normalize relations with neighbouring Colombia amid diplomatic tensions with Mr Uribe's government. Colombia is doing the right thing after many years of conflict Condoleezza Rice
But the Democrats have so far refused to back the pact, citing concerns about Colombia's human rights record and government officials' alleged links with right-wing militias.
One member of a group of Democrats from the House of Representatives who travelled with Ms Rice said: "You can't allow that to go unanswered."
"It's not a question of the rightness or wrongness of the free trade agreement," said David Scott of Georgia.
"The question is: Can you get the votes in the Congress when you have such a violent reputation?"
But the White House says Colombia has made great gains in the war on drugs and terrorism.
Earlier, Ms Rice met former left-wing guerrillas and former members of the country's right-wing paramilitary groups who have been reincorporated into society after laying down their weapons.Earlier, Ms Rice met former left-wing guerrillas and former members of the country's right-wing paramilitary groups who have been reincorporated into society after laying down their weapons.
She is being accompanied on her visit by a delegation of 10 high-raking Democratic Party politicians. After meeting President Uribe, Mr Rice denied that the US administration is pushing the free trade pact as a way of countering the influence of regional rival Venezuela.
The BBC's Jeremy McDermott in Medellin says the Bush administration sees the free trade agreement as an opportunity to support a stalwart ally rather than an economic measure. "There's no ideological test for our friends," she said.
She said she wanted "to make clear.... that Colombia is doing the right thing after many years of conflict".
However, many US Democrats and trade unionists remain unconvinced, with Jeff Vogt, a global economic policy specialist with the AFL-CIO, speaking of "deep-rooted concerns about continuing violence".
The AFL-CIO is the largest US labour group and a key support of the Democratic Party.
The BBC's Jeremy McDermott in Medellin it will remains to be seen whether a US Congress, more interested in the current fight for presidential nominees and this year's elections, will be won over by Ms Rice's arguments.