ANCHORENA PARK, Uruguay—President Bush stuck to talk of trade and friendship on Saturday during a Latin American tour, ignoring provocations from ideological rival Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez.
With shouts of "Gringo, Go Home!" Chavez staged a Bush protest on Friday night in Buenos Aires, the Argentine capital across the River Plate from Montevideo, where Bush arrived from Brazil on a week long, five-nation tour.
Bush refrained from mentioning his leftist nemesis when asked during a press conference after meeting with Uruguayan President Tabare Vazquez whether Chavez should be considered a threat.
"I've come to South America and Central America to advance a positive, constructive diplomacy that is being conducted by my government on behalf of the American people," Bush said.
"I would call our diplomacy quiet and effective diplomacy."
Deeply unpopular in Latin America because of the Iraq war and U.S. trade and immigration policies, Bush is pushing a softer message aimed at improving his reputation and bolstering U.S. influence in the region.
Chavez blames U.S.-backed free-market policies for increasing poverty in Latin America and has embarked on a counter-tour during Bush's visit.
Bush traveled by helicopter on Saturday to meet Vazquez at his presidential retreat in Anchorena Park, some 125 miles (200 km) west of Montevideo.
Commercial Ties to Washington
Vazquez took office in 2005 as Uruguay's first leftist leader and has carved out a moderate path, seeking to deepen commercial ties with Washington.
Bush also declined to respond to Chavez's attacks or mention his name while speaking to reporters in Sao Paulo, Brazil, on Friday, focusing instead on what he said was the U.S. commitment to fight poverty in Latin America.
Hours later, Chavez led tens of thousands of Argentines in a "anti-imperialist" rally. On Saturday he headed to Bolivia, where he was expected to continue baiting Bush, who will also travel to Colombia, Guatemala and Mexico on his tour.
Despite Chavez's socialist polices and anti-Washington rhetoric, Venezuela is a vital oil supplier to United States.
En route to Uruguay, White House spokesman Tony Snow accused reporters of trying to turn Bush's trip into a story about Chavez.
Asked on the Air Force One if Bush intended to ignore Chavez's rally, Snow said, "I don't know if you can ignore it, but it is what it is."
The Bush administration is looking to bolster its push for bilateral free-trade agreements with Latin American countries and has offered a deal to Uruguay.
Vazquez has hinted he is interested in a deal, which has angered some countries in the South American trading bloc Mercosur, dominated by Brazil, Argentina and new member Venezuela.
Mercosur, which also includes Paraguay, prohibits bilateral trade pacts, instead calling for the bloc to negotiate as a whole. But Vazquez signaled his interest in forging deepening commercial ties with the United Sates.
"The road that we have followed and discussed today is the way we can increase commercial trade," he said.
Feeds