Colombia’s Defense Minister Juan Manuel Santos says he is confident
U.S. President Barack Obama will continue to support Colombia’s war
against leftist guerrillas.
“I am confident that President Obama will continue supporting us. He is very firm against terrorism. He has said so on many occasions,” Santos told journalists Wednesday.
The Defense Minister stressed Obama voted in favor of Plan Colombia as senator and approved the attack on a FARC camp in Ecuador in March last year. “We must not forget that the new U.S. President was among the first to support Colombia concerning the attack against [FARC commander] Raúl Reyes.”
According to Santos, Obama supported the attack “saying that such camps should be attacked and that we can not tolerate any terrorist base anywhere in the world.”
Obama had been very critical of the Uribe administration before the elections and demands Colombia improves its human rights record before he agrees to a free trade pact with the U.S.’ staunchest ally in Latin America. Plan Colombia, a multi-billion project to fight drug trafficking from Colombia to the United States will be reviewed, but not canceled, new U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said earlier this week.
