Colombia’s drug interdiction praised

Fresh from a ride on a fast boat used to chase narcotics traffickers, John McCain on Wednesday praised this nation’s efforts to crack down on its illicit drug trade.

The presumptive Republican presidential nominee, on the second day of a Latin American tour, also continued touting a proposed free-trade pact between the United States and Colombia that faces stiff Democratic opposition in Congress.

“The progress that I’ve seen since previous visits here has been substantial and positive,” McCain said at a morning news conference in the historic coastal city of Cartagena.

McCain also gave Colombian President Alvaro Uribe and his administration a nudge, however, by adding that “in human rights and other issues, there’s still progress that has to be made.”

The Arizona senator helped highlight Colombia’s drug interdiction efforts by cruising with his wife, Cindy, through the port of Cartagena on a U.S.-built Midnight Express fast boat.

The craft, capable of speeds up to 70 mph, is part of a fleet paid for by the United States under Plan Colombia, a $5-billion initiative to stop the flow of cocaine and other drugs out of the country. The fleet patrols the port to thwart drug traffickers who use high-speed motorboats to ferry the contraband from Colombia to Central America and Mexico.

McCain also visited a Colombian naval hospital in Cartagena. He talked with, and pinned medals on, three Colombian soldiers who lost limbs to land mines.

Colombia leads the world in deaths by land mines, most of which are planted by leftist rebels.

Just Tuesday, three children were killed by a mine in the southwestern state of Narino.

McCain later flew to Mexico, where he will wrap up his Latin American tour today.

On that flight he learned that Colombia had freed former presidential candidate Ingrid Betancourt and three U.S. military contractors who were being held by leftist guerrillas.

Earlier, McCain told reporters the release of the hostages, including the three Northrop Grumman employees held captive since 2003, would be a top priority of his administration.

The economic focus of McCain’s trip was repeatedly underscored, however, with McCain as well as his traveling companions and campaign supporters, Sens. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) and Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), all emphasizing the potential benefits of a free-trade agreement with the Colombian government.

The campaign of McCain’s Democratic opponent, Barack Obama, issued a statement saying that the Arizonan’s trip to Mexico and Colombia “just underscores his insistence on continuing George Bush’s failed economic policies that have left nearly 2.5 million more workers unemployed -- including unfair trade deals that have been written by lobbyists.”

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chris.kraul@latimes.com