MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Hillary Clinton promises all military information of US presence in Colombia

US Secretary of State Clinton with President Rafael Correa

United States promised to deliver the Union of South American Nations, Unasur, all the necessary information regarding its military presence in Colombia, said Ecuadorean president Rafael Correa, following a meeting with US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

“We are going to be provided with all the information relative to the issue and we will continue to dialogue and absolving any doubts member countries of the region might have. This way we will put an end to all kinds of suspiciousness or mistrust”, said Correa who is also the pro.tempore Unasur president.

Ms Clinton revealed that Washington has already delivered information on the US military installations focused to help combat the “internal enemies” of Colombia, and promised to continue doing so.

Unasur as a block and many of its members individually seriously questioned the latest US/Colombia military understanding, a review of an original treaty dating back to the fifties, and which contemplates having military personnel in seven Colombian bases of the three services.

“United States has provided and will continue to provide information about the use of bases which are not American but Colombian bases”, said Secretary of State Clinton.

The top US diplomat said Washington will respect the sovereignty of all South American countries, particularly the neighbours of Colombia.

“We respect the territorial integrity of all countries in the region; we are certainly committed to share information and work in a way which is mutually beneficial”, said Hillary Clinton.

“I think it is also important that we look for opportunities to partner with all of friends in the region, because we want to be sure that the threat posed by the drug trafficking gangs and the continuing FARC presence is not a threat to anyone, not just to Colombia,” she added.

Correa acknowledged disagreements with the United States, but said his meeting with the top US diplomat had been “very productive” and expressed admiration for both Clinton and her husband Bill, the former president.

He noted that both countries agree on the need to fight drug trafficking and deal with migration concerns between Latin America and the United States. Correa vowed that countries like Ecuador, Bolivia and Venezuela will stand up for their sovereign rights and “will not bow down” to American power.

”However, we (Ecuadorians) are not anti-American. We love the US very much. It is a trade partner. In fact, I spent the happiest four years of my life with my family in that great country,“ he said.

”The new left that I represent is not anti-anything... We are not anti-capitalist, we are not anti-American; we are not anti-imperialist. We are pro-sovereignty, pro-social justice, pro the good life of our people...and in the framework of mutual respect, we will always have a good relationship,“ he added.

The meeting of President Correa with Mrs Clinton in Quito is witness of a clear improvement in bilateral relations since 2008 when Ecuador claimed that the CIA had infiltrated Ecuadorian intelligence services.

At the beginning of 2009, Ecuador expulsed two US diplomats for alleged interference in Ecuadorian domestic affairs.

In a speech to a group of officials and academics in Quito, Clinton sought to outline the appeal of the proposed US partnership, saying Washington would help to promote economic opportunity and find ways to tackle huge wealth disparities in the region.

”In many places, including often in my own country, the simple fact is that the wealthy do not pay their fair share,“ Clinton said, adding that levels of tax evasion were unacceptably high. However it was important to remember that it was not a ”zero-sum game” and that building together could result in a more stable democracy.