Guatemala: US Troops not Samaritans
The Guatemalan Congress decision to allow US troops in to allegedly help communities along the border with Mexico has generated strong rejection and skepticism nationwide.

Deputy Alba Estela Maldonado, from the Guatemala s National Revolutionary Union (URNG), slammed the Parliamentary decision to green light the presence of South Command s soldiers as part of the so called New Horizons Operation.

The contingent is expected to arrive on January 1 and stay eight months, to allegedly provide medical assistance and build infrastructure in zones of the San Marcos department affected by tropical storm Stan.

"This program is different from the Maya Jaguar Plan, in which the US troops would help fight drug trafficking," unionist deputy Pablo Duarte confirmed in Congress.

However, the URNG legislator questioned the lack of control on the tasks the US soldiers will do in Guatemala.

"Evidently, there are bilateral strategic interests behind all that," said to the press Carmen Aida Ibarra, from the Myrna Mack Foundation.