MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

New warnings about an arms race in South America and Nicaragua

Daniel Ortega’s military cooperation agreement with Russia has neighbours uncomfortable

Several Latinamerica former political leaders and security experts expressed concern over the consequences of an arms race in South America and in Central America’s Nicaragua.

The area’s investment in military hardware in the last five years has almost doubled from 24 billion US dollars in 2003 to 47 billion last year according to Colombian political analyst Javier Loaiza.

During a forum in Prague, Loaiza pointed out that while Colombia and Mexico invest in arms to combat domestic problems generated by drug cartels and paramilitary forces “other countries with no major internal problems” are launched in a race to acquire offensive weapons.

Former Bolivian president Jorge Quiroga said that the region is facing “a process of rearmament in South America and not in Latinamerica” and accused Venezuela of going ahead with “the most dangerous project of our history” in reference to the so called Bolivarian revolution promoted by President Hugo Chavez.

A former Guatemalan Defence minister General Francisco Bermudez said he was surprised that the Inter-American Security Junta from the Organization of American States has remained silent “about the arms race in three or four countries, when it should be promoting confidence building measures”.

Bermúdez also remarked that the Central American Armed Forces Conference should also be involved in the issue because “it interferes directly with a twenty year process to ensure peace and distension in the region, thus avoiding conflicts”.

He insisted that the military cooperation requested by Nicaragua to Russia is contrary to the letter and spirit of the Democratic Security Framework Treaty for Central America, subscribed in 1995.

“The activities of Nicaraguan president Daniel Ortega generate mistrust when he is involved in the rearming of the Sandinista army that is in flagrant opposition to the Central American Democratic Security treaty, of which we are all members and was specifically agreed to prevent conflicts”, said Bermudez.

“Latinamerica needs development investments not an arms race”.

According to figures presented by Loaiza Brazil has most invested in military hardware with 27.5 billion US dollars equivalent to 3.44% of GDP, and a 50% increase since President Lula da Silva took office.