Marxist rebels targeted Bush on Colombia trip

BOGOTA - United States President George W. Bush was targeted for assassination by Colombia's biggest Marxist rebel group last week when he visited the Caribbean port city of Cartagena, a top Colombian official said yesterday.

"According to informants and various sources, we had information indicating that various members of the Farc had been instructed by their leaders to make an attempt against President Bush," Defence Secretary Jorge Alberto Uribe told reporters.

He would not go into details.

The White House had no immediate comment.

The US Secret Service said it "does not comment or release information regarding our protective intelligence and protective methods".

"We do not discuss any alleged threats to our protectees," said Jonathan Cherry, a Secret Service spokesman.

The 17,000-strong Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or Farc, fighting a 40-year guerrilla war against the state, has long accused the US of backing Colombian business interests while ignoring the 60 per cent of the population living in poverty.

Security was heavy in Cartagena when Bush visited the city last week on his way back from the Apec forum in Chile. Military helicopters flew over Bush's motorcade while naval vessels kept watch offshore. Many shops were shuttered.

The Farc has made many attempts on the life of President Alvaro Uribe, one of few conservative South American presidents with strong ties to Washington.

The last US President to visit Colombia was Bill Clinton, whose trip was marked by the seizure of bomb-making materials from a house near a building Clinton was visiting.

- REUTERS