MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Obama envoy: “US not interested in having bases in Colombia”

McMullen said Venezuela’s Chavez was not acting responsibly when he talks of “winds of war” in the region

A top official from President Obama’s administration touring South America said on Wednesday that “the US is not interested in military bases in Colombia” and suggested Venezuela’s President Hugo Chavez “is not acting responsibly” when he talks of “winds of war” in the region because of a security agreement between United States and Colombia

“We believe it is not responsible for a leader as President Chavez to talk about winds of war because it does not contribute to the cause of peace in the hemisphere” said Christopher McMullen Under secretary for Andean and Southern Cone affairs during a brief visit to Uruguay on Wednesday where he met with Foreign Affairs minister Gonzalo Fernandez.

“I have explained that we already have and have had for years, access (to Colombian bases)” said McMullen following the meeting with Fernandez.

McMullen is visiting South American countries in anticipation of Friday’s Unasur (Union of South American Nations) summit in Argentina where the main topic will be the Colombia/US military accord that allows for the deployment of US forces in seven Colombian bases.

“We are not interested in US bases in Colombia”, underlined McMullen who added that the accord is very clear in so far it is founded on international law and principles such as non interference in other countries affairs, respect for territorial integrity, “which are based on the paramount sovereignty principle of all countries”.

Further on McMullen said that the context of the accord is in “the framework of a long standing security agreement with Colombia, which is geared to combat the FARC guerrilla group and other armed terrorist groups and to combat drug trafficking”.

McMullen arrived in Montevideo from Brasilia and in the evening left for Buenos Aires to meet with Argentine Foreign Affairs officials.

According to Uruguayan diplomatic sources McMullen’s visit can be interpreted as part of the intense negotiations leading to the Bariloche summit.

Brazilian president Lula da Silva who publicly stated he didn’t like the idea of US bases in Latinamerica, only a few days ago was on the phone with President Barack Obama to invite him to participate in the summit which has triggered an unexpected controversy in the region.