Colombia U.S. bases up for court review

[Judi Lynn]

Colombia U.S. bases up for court review
Published: Aug. 4, 2010 at 3:48 PM

BOGOTA, Aug. 4 (UPI) -- The U.S. forces' use of military bases in Colombia in the war on gangs supplying narcotics to North America is under scrutiny in the country's Constitutional Court ahead of the Saturday's inauguration of Juan Manuel Santos as Colombian president.

Outgoing President Alvaro Uribe signed the agreement last year despite opposition criticism and fiercer condemnation from populist neighbors like Venezuela, who saw the military pact as a preparation for war, a charge dismissed by both U.S. and Colombian officials.

Critics say the pact remains controversial and must be reviewed by the new Santos presidency and probably revised so much as to bar U.S. forces from using the Colombian military bases. One counter-criticism is that the joint Colombian-U.S. military cooperation to fight the drug overlords is a product of the South and Central American states' failure to stem the outflow of narcotics to North America and beyond.

Colombia embarked on a $4 billion upgrade of its military in 2009, buying equipment from France, Israel, Russia and the United States. Included in the acquisition program are aircraft, naval vessels and submarines, armored vehicles and small arms and ammunition and training aircraft assembled in Colombia.

More:
http://www.upi.com/Business_News/Security-Industry/2010/08/04/Colombia-US-bases-up-for-court-review/UPI-63261280951316/

[Wilms]

1. Interesting development.