US and Colombia Sign Military Base Agreement

On October 30th, Colombian and US officials signed an agreement that grants the US military use of seven military bases in Colombia for the next ten years. This agreement has been criticized by South American leaders, the Colombian people, US lawmakers and humanitarian groups around the world.

To read the Fellowship Of Reconciliation's (FOR) press release on this agreement, click "Read More"

 

 

 

Published on Fellowship Of Reconciliation Colombia Program (http://www.forcolombia.org/)

Base Agreement Defies Court and International Pleas

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 30, 2009

Colombian and US officials today signed an agreement to grant the United States the use of at least seven military bases in Colombia for ten years, an agreement that was fiercely criticized by South American leaders, Colombian civil society, and US lawmakers and humanitarian groups.

While the US Embassy in Bogota [1] said the agreement enters into force immediately, a Colombian court ruling [2] said the agreement is "broad and unbalanced" in favor of the United States and is not based on any previous treaty, and so must be reviewed by the Colombian 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.

Colombia's constitution requires legislative approval for stationing of any foreign troops on Colombian territory, as well as for all international treaties. The Colombian State Council, a court created to issue opinions on the presence of foreign troops, found 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 7 bases named in the agreement, and defers the most important questions about military operations to future "operational agreements".

The Council also 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. But Foreign Minister Jaime Bermudez, in signing the deal, said the government would bypass legislative approval of the base agreement.

In addition, twenty-seven European organizations today called [3] on President Obama to reconsider the agreement for the Pentagon to use seven military bases in Colombia, and urged the president 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."

"This agreement extends an alliance with a murderous military, reinforces arbitrary executive power in Colombia, and is openly unconstitutional. Progressives in Congress should immediately call hearings to review and revoke the agreement," said John Lindsay-Poland, co-director of the Fellowship of Reconciliation Latin America Program.

"There is no guarantee that Colombian territory would not be used by the US to launch military operations into third countries," added Susana Pimiento, the Fellowship of Reconciliation Colombia Representative. "Such a condition would severely impact Colombian relations with its neighbors and the international community in general."

Source URL:
http://www.forcolombia.org/baseagreementPR

Links:
[1] http://bogota.usembassy.gov/root/pdfs/uscolombiadcafactsheet102009eng2.p...
[2] http://static.elespectador.com/especiales/2009/10/1955bfe56d6e4bfb4a7516...
[3] http://www.forcolombia.org/sites/www.forcolombia.org/files/OPEN_LETTER_T...

CRLN will keep you updated on any further action in protest of this military base agreement. Peace and justice cannot and will not be achieved until military and violent solutions are no longer governments' first reaction and solution. For the full text of the agreement click here.