Colombian President Alvaro Uribe is on a tour of seven Latin American countries to defend his collaboration with the United States in the fight against drugs.

Mr Uribe recently decided to allow the US to station more soldiers in Colombia and give them access to seven army bases. His decision has been fiercely criticised by other Latin American leaders including left-wing presidents such as Venezuela's Hugo Chávez and Nicaragua's Daniel Ortega, but also moderate leaders like Brazilian President Ignacio Lula da Silva and his Chilean counterpart Michelle Bachelet.

The Colombian president wants to have private meetings with his colleagues to explain why he wants to intensify cooperation with the United States. He started his trip in Peru, where conservative President Alan Garcia informed him he had no objections to the Colombian policy.