Colombia-US Base accord signed

**Caelius** · August 17, 2009, 06:00 AM

Checked and countered. Chavez just got neutered strategically.

He'll naturally whine and complain on his soapbox for the next few days, but any substantive ambitions he had with regards to Colombia and his support for FARC just went down the toilet.

Source

'Colombia-US base accord reached'
Colombian President Alvaro Uribe

Colombia says it has completed talks with Washington on allowing US troops to use seven of its military bases.

Under the deal, the US military will be able to operate on Colombian soil to tackle drug-trafficking and terrorism.

A number of South American countries have condemned the plan and Argentina has said the bases are "not helpful".

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has expressed fears the move would amount to preparation for an invasion of his country by US forces.

Colombia's foreign ministry said that Bogota had agreed the text of the deal with the US.

"This agreement reaffirms the commitment of both parties in the fight against drug-trafficking and terrorism," the ministry said in a statement.

The deal will now be reviewed in both countries before being signed.

'Climate of unease'

Last week, Colombian President Alvaro Uribe visited several of his South American neighbours to try to calm fears over the proposed deal with Washington.

On Monday, South American leaders at a regional summit had reiterated concerns over the deal.

Mr Chavez warned that "the winds of war were beginning to blow" across the region.

The Brazilian president, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, called for a meeting between US President Barack Obama and the region's leaders, saying the "climate of unease disturbs me".

Washington wants to use Colombia as a regional hub for operations to counter drug-trafficking and terrorism.

The US has been forced to look for a new base for such operations after Ecuador refused to renew the lease on its Manta base, which the US military was using.

**Admiral Piett** · August 17, 2009, 09:20 AM

Lol! Let's see what he does now.

**Farnan** · August 17, 2009, 09:21 AM

Chavez is afraid of 800 American soldiers being able to take over his country?

Either our reputation is better than I thought or Venezuela's military really really sucks.... (I mean Iraq took a few hundred thousand).

**Gaidin** · August 17, 2009, 09:24 AM

Originally Posted by Farnan

Chavez is afraid of 800 American soldiers being able to take over his country?

Either our reputation is better than I thought or Venezuela's military really really sucks.... (I mean Iraq took a few hundred thousand).

That or he now has to be realllly careful when he starts messing with columbia. That country is a lot closer than Iraq as far as getting reinforcements there really damn fast.

**Farnan** · August 17, 2009, 09:25 AM

Originally Posted by Gaidin

That or he now has to be realllly careful when he starts messing with columbia.

True, but I was talking about his statements that this is a plan to invade Venezuela and conquer it.

**Gaidin** · August 17, 2009, 09:29 AM

Originally Posted by Farnan

True, but I was talking about his statements that this is a plan to invade Venezuela and conquer it.

He doesn't have to worry about that for at least three years and he knows it. He's just strutting.

**Zadig** · August 17, 2009, 09:51 AM

Chavez is just going to have his usual anti-american rants, that will be overblown and then totally forgotten, he will never act on his words, except for maybe sending a few U.S diplomats out of his country or getting a bit more nationalisation under way. Anyway at the moment he's in a corner, because of petrol prices.