Colombia Retracts Claim of Plot on Bush

BOGOTA, Colombia — Colombia’s government backpedaled Monday on a claim that Marxist rebels wanted to assassinate President Bush during a recent state visit.

Defense Minister Jorge Alberto Uribe told reporters Saturday that informants had said the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, had instructed followers to “assassinate President Bush” Nov. 22 in Cartagena, where he met with President Alvaro Uribe.

The defense minister did not give a source for the information.

A Defense Ministry spokeswoman indicated that her boss misspoke or was misunderstood.

“The FARC wanted to make a noise ... place a bomb in Cartagena or something like that,” spokeswoman Daisy Canon said. “But a structured plan, with details to attack Bush -- that we don’t know about.”