Colombia warns of guerrilla attacks during Bush visit

By Patrick Markey

BOGOTA (Reuters) - Colombia's leftist guerrillas are planning attacks and sabotage during U.S. President George W. Bush's visit to his closest South American ally this weekend, the country's police commander said on Thursday.

Bush arrives in Bogota on Sunday for talks with President Alvaro Uribe, who has received billions of dollars in U.S. aid to help fight Latin America's oldest guerrilla war and the cocaine trade that helps finance the violence.

"We have heard some communications, some orders from these criminals to carry out acts of public disorder and we know they could be acts of terrorism," National Police Commander Gen. Jorge Daniel Castro told local radio.

"The idea is that the plan we have and that has been in place for eight days will be enough to counter this and we hope nothing will happen," he said without giving details.

Since taking office in 2002, Uribe has sent troops out to repel the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, the largest rebel group and also disarm illegal right-wing paramilitaries who had fought the guerrillas.

Violence has dropped sharply, but the rebels are still a potent force, mainly in rural areas. The mayor of a southern town escaped a FARC bombing attack last week and five people were killed in a blast in the same area two days later.

"It would be natural for them to try something," said Pablo Casas, an analyst at the Security and Democracy think tank. "It will be a showcase for them, but the key thing is for the government to be prepared."

Authorities have tightened security in Bogota and assigned 7,000 police to protect Bush and more than 14,000 troops and officers to patrol the capital while he is here.

The one-day visit is part of the U.S. president's five-nation tour of Latin America.

Uribe has been a staunch supporter of U.S. counternarcotics and free trade plans for the region, where leftist leaders like Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez are opposing Washington.

Since 2000, the White House has provided Colombia with more than $4 billion in mostly military and anti-narcotics aid as part of its Plan Colombia initiative. The Bush administration wants Congress to approve another $3.9 billion in aid.

(Additional reporting by Luis Jaime Acosta in Bogota)