Brazil Asks U.S.
To Discuss Colombian
Agreement With UNASUR
Rio de Janeiro -
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da
Silva urged his U.S. counterpart Barack
Obama on Friday to discuss the U.S.-Colombia
military agreement with the Union of South
American Nations (UNASUR).
In a phone conversation on Friday afternoon,
Lula told Obama that a meeting with the
UNASUR countries would help to restore the
confidence of the region's countries.
President Obama replied that he would
consider the possibility of a meeting.
"President Lula insisted on formal, legally
valid guarantees that the U.S. equipment and
personnel will not be used in any capacity
that is not foreseen in the agreement, which
is the fight against FARC (Revolutionary
Armed Forces of Colombia) and terrorism,"
said Brazil's Foreign Affairs Minister Celso
Amorim.
The agreement, which allows the
establishment of seven U.S. military bases
in Colombia, is causing a lot of discomfort
among South American nations. It is feared
that the U.S. military presence in Colombia
might interfere in neighboring countries.
Seeking to reduce the tensions, Colombian
President Alvaro Uribe traveled to several
South American countries to explain the
terms of the agreement earlier this month.
However, worries over the agreement prevail.
Most leaders stated that they respect
Colombia's sovereignty. However, Venezuelan
President Hugo Chavez threatened to start a
war if the U.S. bases are established. |
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