The top US military officer arrived here Wednesday for talks with his Colombian counterparts about the country's progress in combating a leftist insurgency.
Admiral Michael Mullen, the chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, praised the Colombians for turning around the security situation from a low in 2001-2002 when the biggest rebel group, the FARC, was overrunning Colombian forces.
"Our military-to-military relationship is exceptionally strong," Mullen told reporters traveling with him. "We need to stay with them. They have achieved things that are remarkable."
US military aid to Colombia was 89 million dollars in 2007 and is expected to drop to about 50 million dollars in 2008, US officials said.
Mullen's visit comes amid tension with Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez who last week said the FARC should be considered not a terrorist organizarion but recognized as an army with a political project that merits respect.
He said Washington was concerned about Chavez' relations with the FARC.
"But that engagement, by and large, is left principally to those two countries to figure out," he added.
Mullen is scheduled to meet with Defense Minister Juan Manuel Santos and General Freddy Padilla, the chief of the Colombian armed forces, on Thursday.
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