Bogota Seals the Deal For 7 Military Bases

The Colombian Minister of Defense, Gabriel Silva, is in Washington and finalizing the details of the treaty that will permit the U.S. to operate in at least seven military bases for 10 years. Both countries will sign the treaty at the end of this week, declared Minister Silva, yesterday in Washington. He stated that the only way to combat narco-trafficking and terrorism is to have communities working together.

The treaty, which caused great controversy in the region, “will be signed when I return to Bogota at the end of the week,” declared Silva at a press conference. “It is possible” that the signing will be Friday, he added, after being questioned about the exact date.

The treaty generated special rejection from the Venezuelan government, which ordered a freeze on commercial relations with its partner, as well as with the Ecuadorian government. The Latin American governments convened an extraordinary summit of the South American countries assembled in UNASUR (Union of South American Nations), in the locality of Bariloche in Argentina, to address the topic.

The minister stated that his government respected the “legitimate qualms” of certain countries, but he assured everyone that there should not be any concern regarding a treaty that is “a progression of the same politics; there is nothing new, it does not have any geopolitical implication.” “It is one more step in the cooperation that has been in place for more than 50 years” between Washington and Bogota, stressed Silva, who returns to his country tomorrow after two days of visiting the United States.

Silva affirmed, “It is not the entire region that is hesitant” about the treaty, assuring that Colombia collaborates in security matters with various other countries like Mexico, Peru, Paraguay and Guatemala. “The only way to effectively combat the international crime and narco-terrorism threat, is the cooperation between all communities without exception,” added the minister, who on Monday interviewed with his American counterpart, Robert Gates in Washington. Silva also interviewed yesterday with representatives of the State Department and the White House.

The treaty authorizes American military officials to collaborate in surveillance assignments in the region, but the authority of the bases and the activity of all personnel will continue to be in the scope of the Colombian government, assured both countries. The critics of the pact consider that with the bases, the United States has another military footing in the country.

Minister Silvia did not divulge further details about the treaty, but last week he had announced that they would be revealed in their totality on his return to the United States.

The treaty began to be negotiated between both countries after Ecuador announced last year that it was not going to renew its own pact with the United States to utilize its base in Manta, in the Pacific.

Last Thursday, the United States Congress approved the defense budget for 2010, which includes a budget item of 46 million dollars for the renovation of the Colombian base in Palanquero. The budget item, reviewed by the AFP, “does not authorize the establishment of a military installation or base of the United States for the permanent stationing of the United States Armed Forces in Colombia.”

The administration of Alvaro Uribe believes it is unnecessary to take the recommendation it received from one of the highest courts in Colombia to debate the content of this treaty with the United States in Congress. “The government is convinced that it…has accomplished all of the requirements and that it is not necessary to bring it to Congress… We have legal argumentation to support it,” assured the Colombian Chancellor, Jaime Bermudez in Bogota.

The local press revealed parts of the recommendation made the day before by the magistrates of the State Council, which included that the military treaty could be debated in the Colombian Congress. Bermudez reminded everyone that the recommendations of the State Council “in any case are not binding.”