The agreement, which gives US troops access to seven bases in an effort to boost anti-drug and counter-insurgency operations, has been denounced by neighboring leaders, especially leftist Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez.
Chavez says the pact will destabilize the region and could set the stage for a US-led invasion of oil-rich Venezuela, a claim that Bogota and Washington dismiss. “The pact is based on the principles of total respect for sovereign equality, territorial integrity and not intervening in the internal affairs of other states,” said a statement issued by Colombia’s foreign ministry.
US and Colombian officials say American military presence in the Andean country will not exceed caps previously set by the US Congress of 800 military personnel and 600 contractors. Local television showed US Ambassador William Brownfield signing the pact in an early morning ceremony held in Bogota along with Colombian Foreign Minister Jaime Bermudez.
