Colombia, US sign controversial military cooperation deal (Roundup)

Oct 30, 2009, 18:08 GMT

   Bogota - Colombia and the United States signed Friday a controversial military deal granting the United States use of seven military bases on Colombian soil.

The US-Colombian plan had been announced this summer and drew sharp criticism from Latin American leaders who worry that the US presence could threaten the sovereignty of neighbouring countries and promote meddling in internal affairs.

   Bogota and Washington have insisted that the bases will be used only to combat drug-trafficking and terrorism within Colombia's borders.

The agreement was signed by Colombian Foreign Minister Jaime Bermudez and US ambassador William Brownfield.

'Hopefully we will have new and better mechanisms to combat drug trafficking and terrorism alongside countries in the region,' Bermudez said.

The agreement does not entail an enlarged presence of US personnel in Colombia and stands by the figures that have been applied so far: a maximum of 800 military personnel and 600 contractors, he said.

'This agreement is a natural part of our relationship and allows us to continue working together closely to respond to security challenges within Colombia,' the US State Department said in a statement released in Washington.

Colombian authorities have noted that there are currently 71 US military officers permanently deployed in Colombia, although the figure is as high as 210 including those who are there temporarily.

   'We are not going to have North American troops coming in in planes, we are going to have technical cooperation,' Bermudez stressed.