President Alvaro Uribe arrives in Washington this week to continue his campaign to persuade Congress to continue military aid to Colombia, a draft bill for which is announced on Wednesday. But his battle is being undermined by a deepening political crisis at home.
In what has become known as the "para-politics" scandal, growing numbers of ministers and officials have been accused of co-operating with rightwing militias. Recent revelations confirm suspicions long-held by Democrats in Washington of government ties with paramilitaries, strengthening their resolve to cut military aid in the bill to be debated later this month.
