* Police source confirms prostitution was involved
* Cartagena residents upset at incident during summit
* White House says Obama focused on the event
By Helen Murphy and Luis Jaime Acosta
CARTAGENA, Colombia, April 14 (Reuters) – U.S. secret
service agents and soldiers tasked with protecting President
Barack Obama during a summit in Colombia have instead
embarrassed him by apparently trying to party with prostitutes.
At least one member of the Secret Service – known for their
dark shades, sharp suits and a stern demeanor – tried to take a
prostitute up to a hotel room in tropical Cartagena without
registering her, a local policeman told Reuters.
The Secret Service said on Friday it had sent home some of
its officials following “allegations of misconduct,” without
commenting on details of the allegations.
Separately, the U.S. military said five of its servicemen
had been grounded after violating a curfew and possibly engaging
in “inappropriate conduct” in the same hotel as the secret
service officers.
The scandal was the main topic of conversation among
diplomats behind the scenes of the Summit of the Americas,
adding an unwelcome twist to Obama’s efforts to win back a
region where U.S. influence is steadily waning.
“We don’t like what they did. It makes our city look bad.
They came to look after their president, not to have a party,”
Cartagena street-vendor Rosa Elena Prieto said of the scandal.
“The weak flesh of men costs them their jobs.”
Prostitution is widespread and legal in many parts of
Colombia.
The manager of Cartagena’s Hotel Caribe, where the incident
occurred, declined to provide details. She asked media instead
to report on the cordial welcome she had given journalists in a
coastal town famous for its charm and warmth.
U.S. media reported that various agents had sought
prostitutes in Cartagena.
INVESTIGATION UNDERWAY
White House spokesman Jay Carney said authorities were
investigating the allegations of misconduct in Cartagena.
Asked about the military servicemen, he said “our
understanding (is) this is part of the same incident” as that
involving the secret service.
He added: “Our focus here, the president’s focus, continues
to be on the meetings he’s having” and the “tremendous
potential” for expanding U.S. exports and creating jobs.
Cartagena’s cobble-stoned colonial quarter, featured in the
1984 Hollywood action comedy “Romancing the Stone,” offers
thriving night life, complete with free-flowing rum and salsa
music, for foreigners who come to visit the nearby beaches.
English-speaking “fixers” provide foreign tourists with a
range of shady diversions including prostitutes, cocaine and
cock-fights.
The Colombian policeman said the U.S. agent had tried to use
a government badge to persuade hotel staff to allow the
prostitute into the hotel without registering.
U.S. soldiers and contractors participating in U.S.-backed
anti-narcotics efforts in Colombia have in the past been
involved in sex scandals in rural areas near the bases where
they were stationed.
An official at one of the main summit hotels said the
composition of U.S. security personnel were altered after the
incident to include more Spanish-speaking women.
“There are a lot more women than before. They speak Spanish
and they are very rigorous,” she said.
