US State Department's Burns to tour Latin America

WASHINGTON, July 7 (Reuters) US Under Secretary of State Nicholas Burns will visit with leaders of several Latin American countries during a four-day visit to the region, the State Department said.

Burns will travel to Chile, Uruguay and Brazil on a tour that begins Monday to ''consult with leaders on a broad range of political and economic issues including regional and global security, environmental protection, energy and trade,'' the State Department said in a press release yesterday.

The third-ranking official at State will meet with President Michelle Bachelet of Chile, President Tabare Vazquez of Uruguay and Foreign Minister Celso Amorim of Brazil.

Next week, US Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson will also visit the region with stops in Brazil, Uruguay and Chile to strengthen economic ties and highlight a new aid program run in partnership with the International Finance Corp., the private sector arm of the World Bank.

The program will aim to foster private investment in expanding electricity, transport, water and other projects that support development, the Treasury Department has said.

In March, President George W Bush and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice traveled to Latin America.

REUTERS SZ RAI0523