Unasur
Summit Ends With Call For Peace in
South America
Bariloche, Argentina -
The Union of the South American Nations (Unasur)
Extraordinary Summit ended in Bariloche,
Argentina, on Friday with a joint call for
strengthening South America as "a zone of
peace."
The special summit came after Colombia
reached an agreement with the United States
earlier this month that would allow American
troops to use military bases in Colombia's
territory, raising tensions in the region,
especially among neighboring countries.
Leaders from the 12 member countries agreed
to respect each other's territorial
integrity and promised "to establish a
mechanism of mutual trust regarding defense
and security" in the region.
The Unasur stressed that "the presence of
foreign military forces cannot, with its
means and linked resources to goals,
threaten the sovereignty and integrity of
any South American nations and, in
consequence, the peace and security of the
region."
It also reaffirmed its commitment "to
strength the fight and cooperation against
terrorism and transnational organized crime
and its related crimes," including "the
traffic of small and light guns."
During the summit, Colombian President
Alvaro Uribe defended the agreement, saying
the deal was aimed at fighting drug
trafficking and terrorism in his country.
He also regretted that some countries did
not share the demanding expressions for the
major industrialized nations to aid the
fight against drug trafficking.
However, most of the countries at the summit
remained cautious about the agreement.
Venezuela is the most vehement opponent to
the agreement, and President Hugo Chavez
instructed his foreign ministry on Tuesday
to get prepared to sever ties with Colombia.
Chavez has said the bases were "a threat" to
his country and Colombia was conducting "a
war policy," adding the agreement "could
generate a war in South America."
Brazil has demanded guarantees from Bogota
that activities of U.S. soldiers be
restricted to the Colombian territory.
Argentine President Cristina Fernandez said
during the opening session of the summit
that Latin American countries should seek
peaceful ways to solve regional disputes.
"If we agree this (foreign bases) is an
issue of national sovereignty it must be
like that for everybody under any
circumstance, if not we must set controller
trust mechanisms to assure the sovereignty
of all and each one" of the south American
countries, Fernandez said.
Meanwhile, Uruguayan President Tabare
Vazquez said his country shares the need of
keeping South America "as a land of peace."
However, he added that Uruguay follows the
principle of non-interference in other
countries' internal affairs.
Bolivia was also opposed to the deal. "So
now we are drug traffickers and terrorists.
When they could not call us communists
anymore, they called us subversives, and
then drug traffickers, and since the Sept.
11 attacks, terrorists," President Evo
Morales said.
Morales was referring to accusations made by
the Colombian president that some countries
in the region supported guerillas of the
Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia
(FARC) -- considered by Washington and
Bogota as a terrorist group financed by drug
trafficking -- with weapons and hid the
rebels in their territories.
Fernandez suggested that Uribe let the
Unasur Defense Council to review the
controversial agreement. However, Uribe
replied thatthe agreement had been reached
and he would not reconsider it.
The one-day Unasur summit was held in Llao
Llao Hotel in Bariloche, in Rio Negro
province, 1,627 km southwest to Buenos
Aires.
Unasur, set up in 2008, groups Argentina,
Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador,
Guyana, Paraguay, Peru, Surinam, Uruguay and
Venezuela.
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