Outgoing U.S. President George W. Bush awarded his Colombian
counterpart and staunchest ally in the Americas with the presidential
Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian award in the U.S.
Uribe received the medal together with former Uk prime minister Tony Blair and former Australian prime minister John Howard.
The American President awarded the rebel to Uribe for “his commitment to freedom, democracy and the rule of law.”
“Today the United States honors all Colombians by honoring the man they
have chosen to lead them,” Bush said in stressing Uribe’s
accomplishments in the struggle against “brutal drug cartels and
illegal armed groups.”
“By refusing to allow the land he loves
to be destroyed by an enemy within, by proving that terror can be
opposed and defeated, President Uribe has reawakened the hopes of his
countrymen and shown a model of leadership to a watching world,” Bush
said.
The medal of freedom is traditionally given in the last few days of a President in function.