Peru prepares 7,000 police for Bush visit

LIMA, Peru, March 13 (Reuters) - Peru will send out 7,000 police officers for U.S. President George W. Bush's whirlwind visit to the capital, Lima, later this month, the government said on Wednesday. 

"We are coordinating closely with the U.S. Embassy's security force and other officials who have come to oversee security for Bush's visit," Interior Minister Fernando Rospigliosi told reporters. 

"There will be 7,000 police officers in action," he added. 

The U.S. leader is due to arrive in Lima for his first official visit to South America on the afternoon of March 23 before heading to El Salvador the next day. 

The government of President Alejandro Toledo, who took office last July promising a war on poverty in a nation where 54 percent of people live on $1.25 or less a day, is planning to tackle the issues of free trade, the war on terror and the fight against illegal drugs during Bush's highly awaited visit. 

The visit comes at a time when Toledo's approval rating has dropped to 27 percent, with protesters taking to the streets almost daily to demand jobs and better social conditions. 

Bush will arrive in Lima after attending a development summit in Monterrey, Mexico. 

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