U.S. President George W. Bush avoided a war of words with Venezuela's anti-U.S. president on Saturday as he continued his five-country tour of Latin America.

U.S. President George W. Bush, right, and Uruguay's President Tabare Vazquez talked about expanding trade during their meeting on Saturday.
(Lawrence Jackson/Associated Press)

After a meeting with Tabare Vazquez, the president of Uruguay, Bush told reporters the goal of his trip was to "spread goodwill" in the region.

Angry protests and taunts from Bush's harshest critic — Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez — have followed the U.S. president wherever he goes on his tour.

On Friday Chavez called Bush a "political cadaver" and said his nemesis only has a 600-word vocabulary, that he sounds like a "broken record" with his focus on Iraq, terrorism and security.

The Venezuelan president, who accuses the U.S. of both exploiting and neglecting Latin America, also denounced him with taunts of "Gringo go home" during an anti-U.S. rally in Buenos Aires.

However, the U.S. president declined to mention Chavez by name during his news conference with Vazquez on Saturday, saying he favours a more tranquil form of engagement with his neighbours to the south.

"I would call our diplomacy quiet and effective diplomacy," Bush told reporters at Uruguay's official presidential retreat in Anchorena Park.

Vazquez said he wanted to expand trade with the United States and increase scientific, technical and cultural exchanges. The goal, he said, is "a better standard of living for our people.''

He thanked the United States for a bridge loan that helped Uruguay avert financial crisis in 2002.

Bush reported talking with the president about the potential of ethanol as an alternate fuel. He praised Vazquez's efforts to improve his country's economy, which is growing at an estimated rate of seven per cent yearly.

During Bush's visit to Sao Paulo on Friday, U.S. officials reached an agreement with Brazil to increase research into ethanol and other biofuels.

This is the eighth trip to Latin America for Bush. It will also include visits to Colombia, Guatemala and Mexico.

With files from the Associated Press