The Vegan Marxist
18th August 2010, 08:44
Colombia Court Halts US Military Base Deal
by Jason Ditz, August 17, 2010
Colombias Constitutional Court has announced that it is suspending a deal to provide US troops with increased access to the nations military bases as part of anti-drug operations, insisting that such a deal could not be done unilaterally by the president.
Instead, President Juan Manuel Santos must seek congressional approval for the deal, and even then the court will almost certainly be challenged on the constitutionality of the deal. The court declined to even consider that aspect yet, insisting that it couldnt do so until the deal was legally made in the first place (http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/N17163883.htm).
The deal was reached last year by then-President Uribe, and gave the US not only increased access, but (http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/americas/10/30/us.colombia.bases/index.html) gave US troops blanket immunity from criminal prosecution in Colombia.The deal was harshly criticized by Colombias neighbors as giving the US an unacceptable foothold in South America.
Particularly irked was Venezuela, which has been increasingly at odds with Colombia (http://news.antiwar.com/2010/08/17/2010/07/22/venezuela-severs-diplomatic-ties-with-colombia/) over Marxist rebels along their mutual border. The deal means that any war between the two nations would inevitably draw the US in.
http://news.antiwar.com/2010/08/17/colombia-court-halts-us-military-base-deal/
by Jason Ditz, August 17, 2010
Colombias Constitutional Court has announced that it is suspending a deal to provide US troops with increased access to the nations military bases as part of anti-drug operations, insisting that such a deal could not be done unilaterally by the president.
Instead, President Juan Manuel Santos must seek congressional approval for the deal, and even then the court will almost certainly be challenged on the constitutionality of the deal. The court declined to even consider that aspect yet, insisting that it couldnt do so until the deal was legally made in the first place (http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/N17163883.htm).
The deal was reached last year by then-President Uribe, and gave the US not only increased access, but (http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/americas/10/30/us.colombia.bases/index.html) gave US troops blanket immunity from criminal prosecution in Colombia.The deal was harshly criticized by Colombias neighbors as giving the US an unacceptable foothold in South America.
Particularly irked was Venezuela, which has been increasingly at odds with Colombia (http://news.antiwar.com/2010/08/17/2010/07/22/venezuela-severs-diplomatic-ties-with-colombia/) over Marxist rebels along their mutual border. The deal means that any war between the two nations would inevitably draw the US in.
http://news.antiwar.com/2010/08/17/colombia-court-halts-us-military-base-deal/