BOGOTA: Washington's top diplomat wrapped up a trip through Latin America on Tuesday buoyed by support for the US approach to Venezuela but with a warning against backsliding in the drug war.
Secretary of State Rex Tillerson's first official foray to the region began badly last week, when his arrival in Mexico was overshadowed by President Donald Trump's latest attack on US allies.
But as he prepared to leave Colombia on Tuesday after six days of visits to Mexico, Argentina and Peru, he had conducted what he described as positive and successful meetings with top leaders.
Latin America's democracies support Washington's opposition to the Venezuelan regime of Nicolas Maduro, whom they accuse of subverting the constitution to cling to power illegitimately.
And the countries Tillerson visited -- whatever Trump may have said about them "laughing at" Washington while pocketing US aid -- renewed their pledges of support to fight drug trafficking.
"I don't think that President Trump is referring to Colombia, because Colombia is not laughing at the US," President Juan Manuel Santos said at a joint news conference with Tillerson.
"There would be no supply if there's no demand and no demand if not for supply, and Colombia does not laugh at this very important issue because it's a matter of national security," Santos said.
"We have lost our best leaders, journalists, judges, policemen in this war against drugs."
Santos said no country had suffered more than Colombia during a four-decade war on drugs, which in his country also fed and was fed by civil conflict with leftist rebels.
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