MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

US not interested in military outposts in Latinamerica, for the moment

US Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defence for Western Hemisphere

United States currently has no interest in having US troops stationed and with access to military bases belonging to other Latinamerican countries, such is the case with Colombia said a top Pentagon official during a visit to Nicaragua.

“There’s no interest, as far as I know, for the moment” said Frank Mora, US Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defence for Western Hemisphere affairs in an interview with Managua’s main daily “El Nuevo Diario”.

Nevertheless the top official said that the drugs and narcotics trade “threatens Ecuador, Nicaragua, United States and we need to look for cooperation mechanisms and be most creative, because the adversary, the drug cartels are very intelligent, capable and rapidly adjusts to new scenarios. They act with great flexibility”.

This means “we have to be even more flexible, adjust and cooperate. That is why cooperation and understanding if far more important now than ever. The adversary is not a state” said Mora.

United States has with Colombia a cooperation agreement which facilitates the access of US soldiers and advisors to at least seven different Colombian military bases (from the three services), which triggered a strong reaction from several Latinamerican countries such as Bolivia, Ecuador, Nicaragua and Venezuela, which went as far as considering it a direct threat for President Hugo Chavez who talked of “war drums” in the area.

Other countries have not been so vehement on their positions but have questioned a sophisticated military presence which has the potential of easily expanding outside the Colombian territory. This is the position of Brazil and Argentina.

When Mora was asked about the agreement with Ecuador for the use of the military air base in Manta which was not renewed in 2009, Mora admitted the Ecuadorian government withdrew authorization to operate but “it was not a base, but an area of the airport which was leased for operations against the drug cartels”.

Mora however reiterated Washington’s concern about the acquisition by Venezuela of Russian military hardware.

“Yes, it is a great concern and that is why transparency and the search for mutual confidence and trust building mechanisms become so essential”, underlined the Pentagon officer.