Colombian Military Agreement with U.S. Stirs Ire of Other South American Leaders

By Alicia Cruz

Senior writer
Theblackurbantimes

In a phone call to the White House, Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva requested that President Obama attend an upcoming South American summit to address the rising concerns of Latin American leaders over a military agreement between Colombia and the U.S.The pact would give American troops greater access to seven of Colombia's military bases.

The Brazilian president is not alone in his concerns. Leaders of several South American countries are also concerned about what this pact may really mean. The Brazilian President has also requested that Prez Obama guarantee that the American troops would be restricted to conducting anti-drug and anti-terror operations within Colombia only.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton had said that her country is not seeking military bases in Colombia and stressed that the military pact between the two countries is intended only for conducting anti-drug and anti-terror operations.

Pointing out that the threat from Colombian leftist rebels and drug traffickers was very real, she said that Washington was "committed to supporting the government of Colombia in its efforts to provide security to all its citizens".

She also stressed that the planned deal would respect Colombia's sovereignty and would not lead to an increase the U.S. troop levels in the South American country.
Colombia has been under fire from several South American countries after it announced the ongoing discussions with the U.S. over the pact. Bolivian President Evo Morales accused Colombia of betraying Latin American interests by agreeing to the military pact followed by leaders of Uruguay and Argentina.
The uproar in South America prompted Colombian President, Alvaro Uribe, to undertake a tour of the region to try and allay the fears of our neighboring countries on this issue. Uribe's tour earned the support of Brazil and Chile as leaders of both countries agreed to respect Colombia's sovereign right to carry out the plan.