Sec. Gates Tours Region to Boost Security Ties

The Obama administration sought to bolster security ties with Latin American and Caribbean allies this week when U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates traveled to Peru, Colombia, and Barbados. Before kicking off his tour in Lima, Gates and Brazilian Defense Minister Nelson Jobim met at the Pentagon on April 12 and signed the two countries’ first bilateral defense pact since 1977. Gates’ hemispheric tour focused on military ties and antinarcotics efforts. But the defense secretary also took the opportunity while in Bogota to voice support for the long-stalled U.S.-Colombia trade pact.

Gates arrived in Colombia on April 14, where he met with President Álvaro Uribe and Defense Minister Gabriel Silva and credited Colombia with being an “exporter of security”  for supporting Mexican and Peruvian antinarcotics efforts and sending troops to Afghanistan. Gates also promised that, regardless of who wins the country’s May 30 presidential elections, Washington will continue to provide Colombia with aid. Uribe’s former Defense Minister Juan Manuel Santos currently polls as the frontrunner in the race. However, as an Americas Quarterly blog reports, the Green Party’s Antanas Mockus has experienced a surge of support and could face Santos in a second electoral round in June.

Despite Gates’ strong show of support during his trip, a Colombian wiretapping scandal linked to Colombia’s intelligence agency (known by its Spanish acronym as DAS) caused a U.S. aid hiccup this week. Washington responded to the charges by temporarily suspending economic aid to DAS, though the funds will be transferred to other Colombian institutions such as the national police, according to U.S. ambassador to Colombia William Brownfield. The Colombian government issued a release denying that it authorized the illegal wiretapping and plans to restructure DAS. Brownfield said funding would be reinstated for the new Colombian intelligence agency.

Although Gates trip primarily focused on security, he also expressed support for ratification of the U.S.-Colombia free trade agreement, saying “It is a good deal for Colombia; it is also a good deal for the United States.” The pact was signed during the Bush administration in 2006, but its passage has languished in the U.S. Congress because of concerns about human rights violations against trade unionists. Gates’ counterpart Silva said the deal would improve security by improving Colombia’s economy and standard of living.

Gates’ Colombia stop was bookmarked by visits to Peru and Barbados. After arriving in Lima on April 13, he met with Peruvian President Alan García and Defense Minister Rafael Rey to talk about cooperation in Peru’s fight against drug trafficking and terrorism. Gates described Peru as a “constructive influence” in South America and recommended that Peruvian military officials take advantage of human rights training provided by U.S. and Colombian militaries.

In Barbados, Gates met with ministers from seven Caribbean countries to pledge support for the Caribbean Basin Security Initiative pitched by President Barack Obama during the 2009 Summit of the Americas in Trinidad and Tobago. The program, which will draw $45 million in 2010 funding, targets drug trafficking while seeking to improve public safety and social justice. The Obama administration’s 2011 budget request calls for $73 million in military and economic aid for the program.

Learn more:
 

• U.S. Department of Defense’s website offers “Travels with Gates” multimedia coverage of Secretary Gates’ April 2010 trip to Latin America.
• Defense Department release on Gates' Colombia visit.
• Colombian government's statement on DAS wiretapping scandal.