Senator Warner met with Colombian President Alvaro Uribe in Bogota on Tuesday, the first day of his week-long trip that also will include visits to the South American countries of Ecuador and Peru.

Senator Warner is traveling with Connecticut Senator Chris Dodd, whose has taken a leading role in Congress to promote a more supportive and collaborative relationship between the United States and the nations of Central and South America.

At the top of their agenda was learning more about Colombia's efforts to curtail the country's illegal drug trade.  Since his election in 2002, President Uribe has led a sustained and successful effort to fight both Marxist guerillas and drug traffickers, resulting in a 31 percent decrease in cocoa production since 2007.

In Cartagena, the two Senators received a briefing from Colombian Coast Guard officials on their efforts to block the increasingly sophisticated drug smugglers. Colombian officials showed-off a custom-built vessel similar to a submarine that was seized before it could be used by the drug runners. These primitive submersibles operate just beneath the waterline to avoid easy detection, and each can carry anywhere from five to 10 tons of cocaine. Colombian security forces have seized 20 in the past year alone.

Senator Warner said of his visit:

"The drug cartels have gone high-tech, and I am impressed by the active work of Colombia's Navy and Coast Guard to try to block the flow of cocaine and other illegal drugs. I am especially pleased to learn that Colombian officials now are sharing the lessons they have learned to help train security personnel from other nations in this region who are facing many of the same challenges in combatting narco-traffickers."

Senators Warner and Dodd also met on Tuesday with President Uribe's former Defense Minister, Juan Manuel Santos, who on Sunday received 47 percent of the vote and strengthened his position as the frontrunner in a June 20th runoff election to succeed Uribe as Colombia's president. The Senators also are scheduled to meet with Santos' leading opponent Antanas Mockus, a former mayor of Bogota.

Later this week, the two senators are scheduled to meet with a variety of top-level officials in Ecuador and Peru to discuss renewable energy, trade issues, the ongoing efforts to combat illegal drugs and other regional security concerns. The Senators also are scheduled to meet with U.S. State Department officials posted in South America, the head of the Organization of American States and with groups of U.S. Peace Corps volunteers and leading South American human rights activists.