Colombia court seeks Uribe arrest

The court said Mr Uribe failed to enforce a legal ruling

A Colombian court has ordered three days of detention for President Alvaro Uribe for allegedly ignoring a ruling to raise salaries of judicial staff.

The regional court in Sincelejo also issued similar orders against several government ministers and officials.

The rulings are unlikely to be carried out and could be struck down by the Supreme Court, correspondents say.

The move comes amid a continuing stand-off between Colombia's judicial and executive branches.

Some 30,000 officials are holding a strike to demand higher wages and more respect for the judiciary.

Deadline 'missed'

Three judges at the Sincelejo court in northern Colombia ruled that President Uribe and several government ministers had failed to enforce a legal ruling that raised wages of nearly 150 local judicial employees.

The ruling came after the staff had made a court appeal, arguing that the deadline for the president and government to act passed in February, according to Colombia's El Tiempo newspaper.

Colombia's Supreme Court is now reviewing the Sincelejo court ruling.

It was not immediately known when the Supreme Court would announce its decision.