BOGOTA, Colombia — Peruvian President-elect Alan Garcia denied on Wednesday he is seeking a regional strategic alliance against Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez.
Garcia, who will assume the presidency on July 28, arrived in Bogota to meet for the first time Colombia's President Alvaro Uribe. Garcia has already visited Chile and Brazil and heads to Ecuador on Thursday.
Some analysts say Garcia is pushing for a regional bloc with Brazil, Chile and Colombia to balance Chavez' influence in the region with allies Cuba and Bolivia.
"In no way I am planing an axis or group of countries to offset the interventionist influence of a country. I am convinced that only with our democracy Peru has been able to stop any pressure or intervention, and doesn't need to go beyond that," Garcia told reporters in Bogota.
Garcia did not comment directly about Chavez.
Chavez recently called Garcia "a lap dog" of Washington after a series of verbal exchanges during the presidential campaign in Peru.
Chavez openly endorsed former Peruvian presidential candidate Ollanta Humala which ignited a diplomatic crisis that led the recall of their respective ambassadors.
Garcia also told reporters he would not allow his country to be used to trade arms or drugs to Colombia and said he would intensify security along the binational frontier.
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