UNASUR's Base Debate

South American leaders convened in Ecuador August 10 to ink the Declaration of Quito and debate a probable military pact between Washington and Bogota. The third summit of the Union of South American Nations (UNASUR) drew leaders from 12 countries across the region, though one was conspicuously absent: Colombia’s President Álvaro Uribe. Still, those in attendance failed to agree in what actions the bloc should take and planned a South American Defense Council summit to discuss the matter on August 28.

Washington and Bogotá have spent months working out an accord that would allow U.S. forces to operate out of Colombian bases. Negotiations entered final stages in recent weeks and just as the U.S. lease on Ecuador’s Manta Air Base drew to a close. Though Washington and Bogota say the agreement would support existing antinarcotics efforts, the deal draws concern both within and outside Colombia.

Uribe remained absent from the UNASUR meeting, but that does not signify a lack of face time with Latin American presidents as of late. Last week, he traveled to seven South American countries to explain the details of the accord, which would involve seven Colombian bases. On Friday, U.S. President Barack Obama said the Pentagon would not be setting up military bases in Colombia but would instead partner with forces there under an existing security agreement.

Apparently, some leaders remain unconvinced. Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez decried the possible “Yankee” military presence and recommended, along with Bolivian and Ecuadorian leaders, that UNASUR’s defense council prohibit non-Latin American militaries from operating in the region. At Monday’s summit, he warned that the “winds of war are beginning to blow.” His words come as Bogota-Caracas relations hit another rough patch over Colombian allegations that Venezuelan arms fell into the hands of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC). Brazil, Chile, and Paraguay expressed concern over the bilateral military deal, but also Colombia’s right to act as a sovereign country.

El Tiempo columnist Eduardo Pizarro Leongómez recommends that the Colombian government clarify aspects of the agreement. Yet he also wondered why the issue of U.S. forces in Colombia raised UNASUR hackles while FARC operating on Ecuadorian territory or using Venezuelan weapons did not. Bloggings by Boz points out that even as “certain leaders in the hemisphere are freaking out” over the deal, the U.S. military participated in joint military exercises in Brazil involving forces from half of UNASUR’s members. A Semana analysis says that communication about the pact has been a concern, demonstrated by news that it first involved three, then five, then seven bases. But the article also argues that, while the bases cause international discomfort, they play a necessary role in Colombia’s fight against narcotrafficking and terrorism.

Though speculation about the military pact dogged coverage of the summit, the leaders took up other matters as well. Chilean President Michelle Bachelet passed the rotating UNASUR presidency to Ecuador’s Rafael Correa, who was also sworn in for his second term in office on that day. As head of the bloc, which brings together Mercosur and the Andean Community, Correa urged adoption of a regional monetary system. UNASUR leaders called for the reinstatement of deposed Honduran President Manuel Zelaya and decried the possibility of elections carried out by the de facto government.

Learn more:

• AS/COA coverage of the U.S.-Colombia military accord.
• UNASUR’s Declaration of Quito, August 10.
• Colombian Ministry Defense communiqué on the agreement.
• President Chávez reacts to U.S.-Colombia military base proposal.