Sen. Reid calls for improved U.S.-Bolivia relations after meeting with President Morales

(AP) A delegation of six U.S. senators led by incoming Majority Leader Harry Reid met Thursday with Bolivian President Evo Morales, seeking to smooth relations with the South American country's left-leaning government.

Relations have been tense since Morales' election a year ago, with the U.S. wary of his friendship with Presidents Fidel Castro of Cuba and Hugo Chavez of Venezuela. Morales has been critical of U.S. attempts to eradicate coca in the region.

Reid said the United States must pay more attention to Latin America, blaming the region's recent populist shift in part on U.S. neglect.

"I believe that the U.S. needs to be heavily involved in Latin America, and we're not," Reid told The Associated Press after what he called a "long, intense conversation" with Morales. "I believe that Bolivia is looking for help, and I think we can be an agent for help."

At a news conference earlier, Reid said it was not an accident that he chose Bolivia as the first country to visit as Democrats prepare to take control of Congress in the wake of last month's elections.

"We're here as Democrats and Republicans to help North America appreciate the potential of this mighty little country," he said.

The Nevada Democrat later praised Morales' "magnetic personality," saying he "could be, if things work out right, the best leader this country ever had."

But the senator cautioned that Morales' sweeping populist reforms must leave Bolivia's democracy intact. "The one thing we're going to do is make sure that this is democratic government," he told the AP.

Earlier, Sen. Ken Salazar, a Colorado Democrat, told reporters in fluent Spanish that the visit "signals a different direction" for U.S.-Bolivian relations.

"I believe all of us want the same thing, to help lift up the people of Latin America so that they can achieve the human dignity they deserve," Salazar said.

Like Chavez, Morales has railed against U.S. foreign policy and occasionally accused the Bush administration of plotting to overthrow his government or even assassinate him.

But he also sent Vice President Alvaro Garcia Linera to Washington twice to negotiate an extension of a key trade agreement with the U.S. _ which President Bush himself eventually backed and Congress passed earlier this month.

Morales announced earlier this month that he would seek to significantly expand the area for the legal cultivation of coca, which is commonly used in Bolivia as a mild stimulant but also is processed into cocaine.

The announcement drew sharp criticism from Washington, which has strenuously objected to any increase in coca production. The two nations, however, signed an agreement guaranteeing $34 million in U.S. anti-narcotics aid for next year.

After meeting with U.S. and Bolivian officials, Reid said the Andean country was "moving forward" in its fight against drug trafficking.

The six-member delegation travels next to Ecuador where it will meet Saturday with President-elect Rafael Correa, another U.S. critic and Chavez ally who has said he will not sign a free trade agreement with Washington. Correa has also recently criticized U.S. backed fumigation of coca crops in Colombia along the border with Ecuador.

The senators will then travel to Peru for talks with center-left Peruvian President Alan Garcia.

Joining Reid and Salazar are incoming Majority Whip Richard Durbin, D-Ill., Sen. Kent Conrad, D-ND; Sen. Judd Gregg, R-N.H.; and Sen. Robert Bennett, R-Utah.