John Negroponte, 06 Mar 2007

U.S. Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte is in Colombia on a Latin American tour focusing on trade, energy, and regional cooperation.

On Monday, Negroponte visited a project near the capital, Bogota, where former combatants in Colombia's four-decade-old civil war are trained for employment in the clothing industry.

The International Organization for Migration, which runs the project, says there are plans to set up a clothing manufacturing plant that would benefit both the ex-combatants and the surrounding communities. The program is funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development.

Negroponte is also scheduled to visit Ecuador, Panama and Peru during his five-day trip. His visit to Ecuador comes just days after Ecuador's president, Rafael Correa, decided not to renew an investment treaty with the United States that expires this week.

Some information for this report was provided by AP.