In the Face of Espionage Reports, Chile and Colombia Demand an Explanation from the US

Washington’s ambassador in Bogotá defends gathering information on allied countries.

This Wednesday, Colombia and Chile, strategic American allies in Latin America, joined the chorus of nations that demanded an explanation for the espionage orchestrated by Washington that was made public through leaks by the ex-contractor of the National Security Agency, Edward Snowden.

The United States announced that it would respond to the request through diplomatic channels, which is similar to the answer it gave to Brazil.

The Ecuadorian Chancellor, Ricardo Patiño, asserted that Latin America was no longer the backyard of the United States like it was when military dictatorships governed the Southern Hemisphere, and he emphasized that the region’s countries have acquired a greater level of sovereignty.

Citing documents leaked by the fugitive Snowden, the newspaper O Globo revealed Tuesday that the NSA programs went beyond just military affairs, involving what was described as trade secrets including petroleum and energy issues.

In Bogotá, the ministry said it was worried about the information it saw about an unauthorized data collection program, and the interception of personal communications in Colombia by the NSA.

Rights Violations

Upon rejecting the espionage acts that infringe upon people’s privacy rights and upon international telecommunication treaties, Colombia will seek an explanation from the United States government through its ambassador in Colombia.

The American ambassador in Bogotá, Michael McKinley, responded: “I can confirm that the [Colombian] ministry made contact with me to inform about the explanation request… We will continue talks through diplomatic channels over this matter.”

McKinley confirmed that he understood the Colombian government’s concerns, but he emphasized the “data gathering” activity that the United States does in the world.

“We gather information about common interests with partner and allied countries. The information has yielded important results in the fight against drug trafficking and terrorism, and that information must not be underestimated,” McKinley added, after describing Snowden’s leaks as “damaging”.

In Santiago, the Chilean ministry rebuked the infringement of communication network privacy, and also condemned the espionage acts.

“Notwithstanding the fact that the authenticity of said acts will be verified, in which case explanations for them will be solicited, Chile can do nothing more except firmly and categorically condemn the espionage practices, whatever their origin, nature or objectives may be,” said a statement from the Chilean Foreign Relations Minister.

In another official response, Ricardo Patino declared on the television program Russia Today: “It’s time now to respect countries and not consider some first rate and others second rate. He added: “these ‘backyards’ seem to have gone in another direction.” Latin America is gaining a greater level of independence, he added.

He referred to the cases of Snowden and of Wikileaks founder Julian Assange, who for over a year has taken refuge in the Ecuadorean embassy in London to avoid extradition to Sweden, where he is accused of sex crimes, since he fears being transferred to the United States where he could face the death penalty for revealing thousands of secret American documents.

Patino reckoned that there is a true interest in protecting people and human rights in the region. Ecuador is still considering the possibility of granting asylum to Snowden, he affirmed, and he expects that many other countries that understand what has happened and that understand the revelation that Snowden has made may also consider the possibility of granting him asylum.

Respecting sovereignty

In other reactions, the Argentinean chancellor, Hector Timerman, said that the United States must respect sovereignty. He pointed out that the United States’ massive spying has grabbed attention. “We are going to take a very firm stance, but within a regional context.

In Brazil, although the government reiterated that it would not give asylum to Snowden, the chancellor Antonio Patriota did not rule out the possibility of helping the whistleblower in order to further investigate the espionage done in the country by the NSA.

From her side, the Venezuelan Minister of Corrections, Maria Iris Varela, called out to her fellow citizens on Twitter to close their Facebook accounts, since, unknowingly, they have been working as informants for the CIA!