Colombia seeks more U.S., European aid

Defense Minister Juan Manuel Santos said he will travel to Washington and Europe for talks on military assistance and funding to develop areas once held by armed groups and provide alternatives for farmers who grow coca -- the raw material used to make cocaine.

"We have recovered a good part of the national territory and now we have to consolidate the state presence in that territory and put more emphasis on the presence of government agencies involved in the social area," Santos told Reuters.