Colombian President Alvaro Uribe met with Chilean President Michelle Bachelet on Wednesday to explain his decision to allow U.S. access to seven military bases in Colombia, Xinhua reported.
"We have had a very important conversation with President Michelle Bachelet. We thank her and her government," Uribe told the press after meeting with Bachelet.
"I want to greet the people of Chile...it has been wonderful to have had this morning in Santiago, this dialogue," said Uribe, who is on a tour of seven Latin American countries to explain the U.S.-Colombia base deal.
"The president of Chile has reaffirmed that Chile respects the sovereignty, the national interest and the political decision of each country in this continent," Chilean Foreign Minister Mariano Fernandez said.
The United States and Colombia are negotiating to create seven military bases on Colombian territory to combat drug-trafficking and support humanitarian actions.