Thursday 21 August
2008, San José, Costa Rica
NICARAGUA:
US Fourth Fleet Treads
Fine Line
By José Adán Silva
BILWI, Nicaragua (IPS)
- The newly reactivated
U.S. Fourth Fleet began
its operations in Latin
American waters with a
humanitarian mission
that made its first stop
in Nicaragua, before
heading on to six other
countries of the
Caribbean and Central
and South America.
The USS Kearsarge, an
amphibious assault ship
of the Fourth Fleet of
the U.S. Southern
Command, anchored off
Nicaragua’s Mosquito
Coast in the Caribbean
Sea on Aug. 11, carrying
1,600 people, including
U.S. military personnel
and public health
workers as well as
humanitarian workers
from several countries.
The ship will remain in
Nicaraguan waters until
Aug. 25.
According to Commodore
Frank Ponds, the head of
the Continuing Promise
2008 humanitarian
mission, the Navy ship
is providing medical and
dental services, as well
as assistance in the
reconstruction of
buildings and
infrastructure damaged
by Hurricane Felix in
September 2007.
The ship is equipped to
launch three kinds of
missiles, support
amphibious assault
operations from ship to
shore, transfer special
forces, and evacuate
troops and civilians. It
also carries modern
hospital facilities as
well as fighter planes
and helicopters, heavy
vehicles, trucks and
amphibious vehicles.
Christened in 1992, the
warship has carried out
missions in the
Democratic Republic of
the Congo, Sierra Leone,
Bosnia-Herzegovina and
Kosovo. It also took
part in humanitarian
operations in Turkey and
in the U.S. war on Iraq.
The day it anchored
three miles off the
coast of Puerto Cabezas,
the provincial capital
of the North Atlantic
Autonomous Region (RAAN),
Nicaraguan President
Daniel Ortega said the
ship "belongs to the
Fourth Fleet. The
doctors, nurses,
paramedics and
specialists who have
come in that ship have
not come with the
intention of carrying
out intelligence work.
"They have come with the
intention of providing
humanitarian services,
but for that there is a
division of labour, and
a ship like that is in a
position to bring
specialists who are
engaged in intelligence
work, while the others
do their humanitarian
work," the president
said in a Nicaraguan
navy installation.
"We welcome the
humanitarian work, but
of course we cannot
welcome the intelligence
work," he said.
Along with the marines
and naval personnel on
the ship are travelling
members of the U.S.
Public Health Service
and non-governmental
organisations like
Project HOPE and
Operation Smile, and
volunteers from France,
Spain, Brazil, the
Netherlands, the United
States and Canada.
At a press conference
given by Ponds, foreign
journalists questioned
the use of a warship to
carry out humanitarian
actions in countries
like Nicaragua, which in
the 1980s suffered a
civil war that was
financed and fomented by
Washington.
Ponds responded that he
did not get involved in
such questions, saying
"I’m talking about
medical and dental care,
infrastructure, schools
and buildings that will
be rebuilt and restored;
that’s what I’m talking
about."
But this kind of
large-scale operation is
blurring the line
between military
missions and civilian
humanitarian missions.
There are organisations
that refuse to work with
the armed forces,
despite their high level
of organisation and
capacity, journalists
pointed out.
"How do you tread the
fine line between
military and
humanitarian missions?
How can you think about
showing up in Nicaragua
in that big boxy grey
ship without scaring
people?" IPS asked.
"The victims of the
(2004) tsunami didn’t
care if our ship was
grey or blue," said
Ponds. "What they cared
about was that we were
bringing humanitarian
aid to a disaster area."
The U.S. Embassy in
Managua reported that
the Continuing Promise
2008 mission will last
four months, taking the
ship to Nicaragua,
Panama, Colombia,
Trinidad and Tobago,
Guyana and the Dominican
Republic.
So far, the on-board
personnel have seen
2,500 patients and
performed some 100
surgical operations
among the Betania, Tuapi,
Yulu and Bilwi
indigenous communities
in Nicaragua, which were
hit hard by Hurricane
Felix.
The reconstruction work
will include bridges and
public buildings as well
as the installation of
sewage and water
networks and pumps for
wells. In addition,
donations of medical and
sports equipment will be
distributed.
"What I see is a big
humanitarian mission; I
don't see anyone
sticking their noses in
anything, only people
helping the needy,"
Puerto Cabezas Mayor
Elizabeth Enríquez, who
officially received the
USS Kearsarge
delegation, told IPS.
RAAN Governor Reynaldo
Francis said the ship
came to his region
thanks to local efforts
to obtain international
aid.
"Through our efforts,
today we are enjoying
the presence of this
humanitarian aid team,
and we hope they will
keep coming, and that
more will come," he
said.
On Aug. 16, Ortega
expressed a view that
differed slightly from
his original reaction.
"There is a warship in
Bilwi, but with medical
aid. The ships from the
U.S. are coming to help
the people, and we have
to sincerely express our
gratitude," said the
leftist leader.
A source at the U.S.
Embassy told IPS that an
invitation to the
president to visit the
USS Kearsarge has not
yet received a response.
IPS was unable to obtain
comments from the
Nicaraguan government.
"We have invited him to
similar events and he
has not come, although
he has sent members of
his government," said
the diplomat, referring
to the USS Comfort
hospital ship, which
last year stopped in the
same area, where it
provided assistance to
more than 5,000 people
in the wake of Hurricane
Felix.
Indigenous leader Osorno
Coleman, candidate for
mayor of the rightwing
opposition
Constitutionalist
Liberal Party, said
"Ortega has not been
taught what to do when
the enemy holds out his
hand.
"He has many bad things
to say about the United
States and continuously
criticises it, but this
time he didn't know what
to do when his enemy
extended its hand. And
now a grateful Ortega
suddenly shows up,
expressing a welcome
message," said Coleman.
The Fourth Fleet was
created by the United
States in 1943, during
World War II, to patrol
the South Atlantic, but
was disbanded in 1950.
The decision announced
in late April to
re-establish the fleet
under the Florida-based
Southern Command came as
a surprise for Latin
America, and triggered
controversy about the
reactivation of the U.S.
navy patrol mission for
the region.
According to U.S.
Assistant Secretary of
State for Western
Hemisphere Affairs
Thomas Shannon, the
fleet was re-established
to respond to natural
disasters, carry out
humanitarian operations,
provide medical
assistance, fight drug
trafficking and
cooperate in the areas
of the environment and
technology.
On a visit to Argentina
in July, Shannon said
the fleet does not have
an "offensive
capability," and has no
aircraft carrier or
large warship, while the
largest vessel is a
hospital ship.
Countries like Brazil,
Argentina and Venezuela
have expressed
irritation at the
decision to dispatch the
fleet to this region,
and have stated that the
Fourth Fleet will not be
allowed to enter their
territorial waters. |
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