Obama addresses prostitute accusations

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U.S. President Barack Obama has responded to reports that members of his Secret Service team were involved with prostitutes in Colombia.

Obama spoke on the matter during a news conference at the Summit of the Americas in Cartagena.

(SOUNDBITE) (English) U.S. PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA, SAYING:

"I expected that investigation to be thorough and I expect it to be rigourous. If it turns out that some of the allegations that have been made in the press are confirmed then of course I'll be angry because my attitude with respect to the Secret Service personnel is not different from what I expected from my delegation that is sitting here. We are representing the people of the United States and when we travel to another country, I expect us to observe the highest standards because we are not just representing ourselves."

Reports surfaced last week that 11 Secret Service workers and five military personnel who were in Colombia ahead of the president had brought a number of prostitutes back to their hotel rooms.

The incident has stained the otherwise stellar reputation of the U.S. Secret Service and put Obama on the defensive.

With a presidential election looming, Obama had hoped coverage of the summit would center around his push to boost trade with Latin America.

Julie Noce, Reuters