US Secretary of State Rice Arrives in Chile

U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has arrived in Chile, the third stop of her five-day Latin American tour.

Secretary Rice is due to hold separate meetings Thursday with Chilean President Ricardo Lagos and Foreign Minister Ignacio Walker.

She will later join officials from some 140 countries for a two-day meeting in Santiago of the informal Community of Democracies.

In Colombia on Wednesday, Secretary Rice pledged continued U.S. support for the country's war against armed insurgents and drug traffickers. She said the Bush administration is asking Congress for more than $600 million in security aid for Colombia.

Ms. Rice will stop in El Salvador on the final leg of her trip, before flying back to Washington.