South American presidents expressed deep concern on Monday over the US’ plan to increase its military presence in Colombia.
The unease reflected the region’s deep-seated suspicion of US motives based on a long history of intervention and meddling. But there was no consensus on issuing a statement rejecting US use of Colombian bases, as proposed by Bolivia and backed by its ally and strong critic of Washington’s influence, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez.
The proposed base treaty has been questioned since it was revealed a few weeks ago, with the strongest attacks coming from some of Colombia’s neighbors, whose leftist governments are in ideological conflict with its conservative administration.
The leaders agreed to meet again in Buenos Aires, Argentina, to discuss the matter after Chavez raised it during a ceremony to inaugurate Ecuadorean President Rafael Correa as temporary president of the Union of South American Nations, or UNASUR. They did not set a date, saying the summit would follow a preliminary meeting of defense ministers on Aug. 27.
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Argentine President Cristina Fernandez, Bolivian President Evo Morales, Paraguayan President Fernando Lugo and Correa also expressed unease with the plan.
“I don’t want to sabotage your ceremony, Rafael ... [but] we are very worried,” said Chavez, who added that he believed the bases would destabilize the region.
“This could provoke a war in South America,” Chavez said, repeating a theme of his recent criticism of the base negotiations.
During his weekly television and radio address on Sunday, the Venezuelan president told his military to be “ready for combat” in case of a Colombian provocation.
Brazil’s Silva took a more measured approach, calling on US President Barack Obama to meet with the region’s leaders to explain the plan.
“As president of Brazil, this climate of unease disturbs me,” said Silva, who has expressed opposition to US troops being in Colombia, but who is viewed in Washington as a center-left balance to the more stridently leftist presidents of Venezuela, Ecuador and Bolivia.
“I think we should directly discuss our discontent with the American government — directly with them,” said Silva, a union leader famed for his negotiating skills before he became a politician.
Colombian President Alvaro Uribe, who did not attend the meeting in Ecuador, visited several South American countries last week to defend his base deal with the US, but Peru was the only nation to openly back the plan.
While in the moderate camp, Silva underlined the region’s suspicions of the US by saying he was concerned over “information we receive about [US] ambassadors that still intervene in internal electoral processes” in their host countries.
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