BASSETERRE, St. Kitts - A pending military agreement between the United States and Colombia would have harmful effects on the Federation and the region as a whole, according to a top Venezuelan diplomat.
Speaking to the local media yesterday (Sept. 3), Resident Ambassador His Excellency Cruz de Jesus Bello said that the deal, which gives the US greater access to Colombian military facilities, will threaten regional peace.
He denounced the move as “a tactic of the US Empire” to destabilise integration movements, specifically the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America, commonly referred to as ALBA.
“The US-Colombia agreement threatens the sovereignty and integrity of all South America, and therefore the peace and security in the region. The US is afraid of ALBA and does not want regional integration to succeed. Venezuela, led by Commander President Hugo Chavez, categorically rejects this action,” Cruz declared.
Chavez has been one of the agreement’s most outspoken critics, calling it “a declaration of war against the Bolivarian revolution”. He has threatened to bar Colombian imports from entering Venezuela and to cut diplomatic relations with the South American neighbour.
Due to what he deemed a “close relationship” between Venezuela and St. Kitts-Nevis, Cruz said that locals should be aware of the deal’s negative implications.
“It is representative of the US trying to exert its imperialistic will on the region. Colombia shares a border with Venezuela, and what affects Venezuela will affect St. Kitts as well due to the partnership we have.
“Just recently, the sixth PetroCaribe summit was held here in St. Kitts. The local government has also received US$10 million for the construction of homes for ex-sugar workers. The relationship we have formed will be endangered if the US is allowed to have its way,” stressed the diplomat.
Colombian authorities and the US have insisted that the agreement would respect the nation’s sovereignty and that other countries will not be affected. US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has said it would help the two nations cooperate in the fight against terrorists and drug dealers.
“[The deal] ensures continued US access to specific agreed Colombian facilities in order to undertake mutually agreed upon activities within Colombia. It does provide the United States access to Colombian bases but command and control, administration and security will be Colombia's responsibility. It will not create any US bases within Colombia and it will not increase the number of US forces on Colombian soil.”
At a special summit in Argentina this weekend, Chavez and other South American leaders are expected to push Colombian President Alvaro Uribe for additional information on the deal, which was signed on August 14.
Venezuela News