(Bloomberg) June 2, 2011 – KKR & Co., the private-equity firm managed by Henry Kravis and George Roberts, plans to enter Latin American markets, Kravis said today.

“We will get here in the next few years,” Kravis told a conference in Santiago, Chile. “We like the demographics of Latin America, each country is different. Some countries’ prices are still frothy. We don’t know how long they will be frothy, and that is why we are preparing to enter.”

Kravis said he is “fairly sanguine” about the U.S. economy, which probably will avoid a second recession and grow about 2 percent this year. KKR has “a terrific long-term view” of private equity, Kravis said, adding that an average holding of seven years means it probably takes a longer view than other firms.

KKR is willing to take minority positions in companies, Kravis said.

 By Eduardo Thomson and Randy Woods