Colombia’s Congress will constantly monitor the military bases in
Apiai, Palanquero and Malambo from where the United States will be
allowed to conduct antinarcotics operations, the Senate announced Tuesday.
It is necessary that the public and the legislature know what will happen when the U.S. military bases arrive in Colombia, Senator Alexandra Moreno Piraquive said.
“We are going to verify everything that happens in these bases … it is necessary to dispel the doubts about whether the idea is to replace the base of Manta [Ecuador]. And it cannot be forgotten that neighboring countries feel insecure [about the U.S. military bases in Colombia],” the Senator stressed.
“We must confront everything … this issue cannot be ignored … we have to verify the meaning of the allegations made by Venezuela and Ecuador,” Moreno added.
Ecuador and Venezuela do not welcome the U.S. military bases in Colombia. Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez is afraid that the United States will use the bases to invade Venezuela. Last week, Chavez ordered tanks to the Colombian border after both Colombia and the U.S. announced the approaching increased co-operation deal. On Tuesday, Chavez froze relations with Colombia.
The U.S. and Colombia are working on an agreement to allow the United States to
use Colombian air bases for its ‘war on drugs’ in the Caribbean and
Atlantic. The U.S. were conducting operations from an airbase in
Ecuador (Manta), but have been told that this contract will expire in November.
