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BUENOS AIRES, Argentina - Secretary of State Colin Powell offered friendship Tuesday to newly installed President Nestor Kirchner and said he hoped to put U.S.-Argentine relations on a sounder footing.

"We are looking for strong relationships between two friends and we look forward to working with the new president and his administration," Powell said as he left a midmorning meeting with Kirchner. He flew back to Washington immediately afterward.

Powell stopped in Buenos Aires on Tuesday after attending an Organization of American States foreign ministers meeting in Santiago, Chile the day before. A senior OAS official said there was optimism that the U.S.-Argentine relations can prosper now that President Bush has a new team of economic advisers.

U.S. on Terror Watch Near Horn of Africa

MANAMA, Bahrain - The U.S. Navy said Tuesday that it will increase its presence around the Horn of Africa to deter terrorists.

The U.S. Navy 5th Fleet sent a bulletin to merchant shippers informing them of the "increased military presence in response to ongoing counterterrorism operations" in the region, Lt. Garrett Kasper, a 5th Fleet spokesman, said.

"The increased military presence will serve as a deterrent for terrorists to rethink their potential actions," Kasper said.

Last month, President Bush listed the Horn of Africa as one region where the United States was pursuing members of the al-Qaida terrorist network.