Campaign for the Accountability of American Bases

CRIENGLISH.com
November 25, 2010

Bolivia on Wednesday urged fellow Latin American countries to keep U.S. military bases off their soil. Otherwise, it said, peace and democracy in the region will be at risk.

Defense Minister Ruben Saavedra made the remarks at the 9th Conference of Defense Ministers of the Americas in Santa Cruz, Bolivia, which is also attended by U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates.

“Bolivia’s position is in the context of a clear governmental policy to defend the sovereignty of the people and the noninterference of other nations, including world powers, in internal policies,” he said.

The Bolivian government is convinced that U.S. or foreign military bases in Latin America and the Caribbean put peace in the region at risk, and endanger democratic order, the minister added.

About 30 countries took part in the conference.

http://english.cri.cn/6966/2010/11/25/2021s606985.htm

Tags: by caab
No Comments »

WW4 Report
November 11, 2009

While the US Embassy in Bogotá says the new agreement for expanded US access to Colombian military bases enters into force immediately, a Colombian court ruling finds the agreement is “broad and unbalanced” in favor of the United States and not based on any previous treaty, so therefore must be reviewed by Colombia’s Congress and Constitutional Court. The agreement puts no limits on the number of US personnel to be deployed in Colombia nor on the number of military bases they will use.

The Colombian State Council, a court created to issue opinions on the presence of foreign troops, stated in its ruling Oct. 13 that the agreement gives the US the power to decide what operations will occur, gives immunity to US troops, allows access to bases beyond the seven named in the agreement’s text, and defers the most important questions about military operations to future “operational agreements.”

The Council reviewed 15 prior treaties and declarations cited by the Colombian government as the foundation for the current base agreement, and found that none of them offer a basis for the current agreement on stationing of military troops and use of military bases. It concludes that the agreement is a treaty, and so must be approved by the Colombian Congress and reviewed by the constitutional court. Foreign Minister Jaime Bermúdez, in signing the deal, said the government would bypass legislative approval of the agreement.

Colombian Senator Gustavo Petro Nov. 4 called on the government to renounce the pact. Petro asserted, “because it didn’t go through Congress, the pact is ineffectual, and any occupation by [US] soldiers in Colombia is illegal.”

In addition, 27 European non-governmental organizations called on President Barack Obama to reconsider the agreement, and urged him to prioritize human rights in US relations with Colombia. “The militarization of Colombia,” the groups wrote, “will lead to an increase in internal destabilization, will involve even more of the civilian population in the war, increasing the violations of human rights and strengthening the resurgence of the paramilitary groups and the receding guerrilla groups.” …

www.ww4report.com/node/7923

Tags: by caab
No Comments »

All Headline News
October 31, 2009
By Windsor Genova

Bogota, Colombia (AHN) – The Colombian and U.S. government signed a pact Friday that will allow American soldiers to station in the Latin American country’s seven military bases.

Colombian officials led by Foreign Minister Jaime Bermudez, Defense Minister Gabriel Silva and Interior and Justice Minister Fabio Valencia Cossio as well as U.S. Ambassador William Brownfield signed the pact in Bogota, Colombia’s capital.

Under the deal, the troops will fight terrorists, drug traffickers and Colombian rebels to secure both countries.

The U.S. have the same arrangement with El Salvador and Aruba-Curacao. Other troops were stationed in a U.S. base in Ecuador but the facility was shut down a few months ago.

Read more: http://www.allheadlinenews.com/articles/7016858082#ixzz0VhAhhVIx

Tags: by caab
No Comments »

Chavez: Venezuela ready to sever ties to Colombia
August 26th, 2009

President Hugo Chavez said Tuesday that Venezuela is getting ready to break off diplomatic relations with Colombia over the neighboring country’s plan to give American troops greater access to its military bases.

Chavez said that “there’s no possibility” of repairing relations with the government of President Alvaro Uribe and that he instructed his foreign minister to “begin preparing for the rupture with Colombia.”

“It’s going to happen. Let’s get ready,” he said.

Venezuela and Colombia have been feuding for weeks over the negotiations between Bogota and Washington that would allow the U.S. military to increase its presence at seven Colombian bases through a 10-year lease agreement.

Colombian and U.S. officials say the agreement is necessary to more effectively help Colombia’s security forces fight drug traffickers and leftist rebels.

Tags: by caab
No Comments »