US military chief sells closer cooperation on Latin America tour

[Judi Lynn]

Source: Agence France-Presse

US military chief sells closer cooperation on Latin America tour
By Diego Urdaneta (AFP) – 11 hours ago

LIMA — Visiting US Defense Secretary Robert Gates on Wednesday offered to deepen security cooperation with Peru, Colombia and Mexico to take a joint approach to challenges like drug traffickers or insurgents.

In Peru's capital, he told reporters alongside Peruvian Defense Minister Rafael Rey, that the United States was seeking to boost cooperation with Lima and "with other allies in the region like Colombia and Mexico."

Gates' Latin American tour comes at a time that Moscow has stepped up its profile in the region with an unprecedented visit to Argentina Wednesday by Russia's President Dmitry Medvedev and an arms-selling stop in Venezuela last week by Prime Minister Vladimir Putin.

Gates, who met with Rey as well as President Alan Garcia, said he had been encouraged by exchanges that already are taking place between Peru and Colombia on the anti-drugs fight. Colombia and Mexico also receive drug war training programs.

After his stop in Peru, Gates was off to Colombia, the staunchest US ally in Latin America.


Read more: http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5jrt0Qc2NmTtPchBbVE_uN5UN0J1A

[Joanne98]

1. Drug war is an EXCUSE!

[unhappycamper]

2. The key word in the headline is 'sell'

Gates is trying to sell the days of death squads, F-16s and Joint Strike Fighters. (Their terrorists were trained at Ft. Bragg.)

[bemildred]

3. Sigh. Same old strategy, circle the wagons and never give up. nt

[a la izquierda]

4. ahh, yeah, good luck with that...

Latin Americans have long memories.