What's most surprising about South America's growing uproar over Colombia's plans to allow 'U.S. military bases' on its territory is that there may be no such thing in the making -- but rather a major Colombian PR blunder.

I, for one, was surprised to hear in an interview with Colombia's Foreign Minister Jaime Bermudez that 'there will be not one single centimeter in Colombian territory in which there will be a U.S. military base.'

Virtually all press reports I had read on my way here suggested that, following Ecuador's recent order to close the U.S. anti-drug base in Manta, the Pentagon is talking with Colombia about setting up U.S. anti-narcotics bases in Colombia.

Earlier in the week, key South American countries, including Brazil and Chile, had expressed concerns about the alleged 'U.S. military bases' in Colombia, and agreed to discuss the issue at an Aug. 10 summit of South American countries in Ecuador.

Colombian President Alvaro Uribe has said that he will not attend the summit because Colombia is likely to be the target of a coordinated attack over the issue. Ecuador, the host country, broke relations with Colombia over a 2008 attack by Colombian troops to a FARC guerrilla camp in Ecuadorean territory.

Uribe left Tuesday for Peru, Bolivia, Chile, Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay and Brazil, in a last-minute effort to explain the nature of ongoing U.S.-Colombian military cooperation talks.

Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez had said that he has 'alerted' his colleagues in the region 'about the danger that these new gringo military bases pose to Venezuela.'

The presidents of Ecuador, Bolivia and Nicaragua immediately echoed Chávez's warnings. But what surprised the Colombian government is that more moderate countries voiced similar concerns. Brazilian President Luíz Inácio Lula da Silva said, 'I don't like the idea of an American base in the region.'

So, if it's not 'U.S. military bases,' what is it, I asked Bermudez in an interview.

According to Bermudez, Colombia and the United States are discussing a deal to increase U.S. military cooperation -- mostly in surveillance and intelligence matters -- to fight drug traffickers and narco-guerrillas in Colombia. But -- unlike the U.S. base in Manta, or the U.S. base in Guantánamo, or U.S. bases in Europe, in which the United States flies its flag and has jurisdiction and autonomy -- U.S. troops will not run any base in Colombia, U.S. and Colombian officials say.

'These will be Colombian bases, operated and commanded by Colombians, in which there will be regulated access to U.S. personnel,' Bermudez said.

By U.S. law, the number of U.S. troops in Colombia cannot surpass 800 military and 600 contract workers. Last year, there were about 71 U.S. military and 400 contract workers in Colombia.

Under the proposed deal, U.S. troops will be invited to work in at least seven Colombian military bases. But there are no plans to increase the number of U.S. personnel in Colombia, U.S. and Colombian officials say.

My opinion:

If the U.S. and Colombian governments are telling the truth -- and I suspect that's the case, since the deal is subject to close surveyance by a skeptical U.S. Congress -- then we are facing a huge blunder in the way these military cooperation talks have been advertised.

Colombia should have come up with its own label for the proposed deal, to prevent its critics from talking about 'U.S. bases' in Colombia. They should have called it a 'military guest program' or an 'expanded military exercise,' much like the deal whereby Venezuela allowed a Russian naval exercise in its territory last year.

Furthermore, Uribe should attend the Aug. 10 South American summit. As he proved in the past, he is at his best when taking on a hostile audience, especially at presidential summits.

And Uribe could perfectly tell his colleagues, 'OK, let's discuss everybody's military agreements, including Venezuela's recent military deals with Russia and Iran, or the massive presence of Cuban military advisors in Venezuela, or Venezuela and Ecuador's assistance to Colombian guerrilla groups.'

If South American countries want to have a frank discussion about military agreements in the region -- public and secret ones -- they should have it. It could be of great help to all.

 

 

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