Bariloche, Argentina - No agreement was reached Friday at the summit of the Union of South American Nations (Unasur) on the thorny topic of Colombia's plans to allow the United States military use of its bases. Colombian President Alvaro Uribe told the one-day gathering in the Argentine Patagonian city of Bariloche that he would not abandon his plans, but it was clear that other leaders in the region remained upset by the decision.
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva made the most of Uribe's observation - that the US military has been in Colombia since 1952 - to express his skepticism.
"I would like to say, in a very friendly way, that if US bases have been in Colombia since 1952 and there are still no solutions to the problem, we should think about something else that we can do together to solve the problems," Lula said.
Uribe explained the importance of the planned deal for his country. "Access for the United States to help Colombia in the fight against narcoterrorism is a form of access without Colombia renouncing sovereignty over one millimetre of its territory," he said.
Colombia and the United States are close to finalizing a deal that would allow the US military to use up to seven bases. The plan has drawn sharp criticism from Latin American leaders who worry the US presence could threaten the sovereignty of neighbouring countries and be used to mingle in internal affairs.
Uribe rejected the criticism during the summit, saying Colombia had the right to sign bilateral agreements with the United States without the consent of Unasur. Unasur cannot "be used for intervention in the internal affairs of other states," he said.
South American leaders want guarantees that the United States will not use Colombian bases to attack other countries. Argentine President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner argued the whole region should have a say in the matter if Colombia's bases are to be used by a non-South American country.
"It cannot be that one (country's) sovereignty dominates all others and that it imposes conditions on all others," Fernandez de Kirchner said.
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, an outspoken critic of both the United States and the current government in Colombia, revealed what he said was a report drafted at the beginning of the year by the US Armed Forces, which included several strategic issues and mentioned Colombian bases.
"I am very concerned and I cannot accept that a US document treats us as their backyard," Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa complained, based on the document that Chavez presented.
US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton earlier this month dismissed the criticism, saying it would not result in a significant increase in the number of US personnel already in Colombia. All of the bases will remain under Colombian control, she said.
"The United States does not have and does not seek bases inside Colombia," Clinton told reporters August 18. Washington did not send a delegation to the conference in Bariloche.
Discussions at the summit included an informal request for a Unasur meeting with US President Barack Obama.
Colombia has been confronting drug traffickers and rebels of the extreme right and left for decades and has the "fundamental right" to seek the help of its US ally "to get over this threat," Uribe said.
"We are not talking about a political game, we are talking about a threat that has covered Colombian society in blood," he said.
He urged all South American countries to recognize the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) as a terrorist group. FARC has been waging a fierce civil war for decades and is known to finance its activities through drugs.
"We remain upset that Latin America does not" recognize FARC as terrorists, he said. "These are groups who have tried to maintain diplomacy, but they are shedding blood even as they try to deceive the international community."
Near the end of the debate, Lula expressed his displeasure with the lack of concrete progress despite abundant talk, and accused some of his colleagues of talking to their home audiences. The meeting was broadcast live on television, at Uribe's insistence.
"I think we are wasting our time and I am worried about what is going to be published in the press tomorrow about this Unasur meeting," said a visibly annoyed Lula. "We do not have the right to spend a whole day discussing two things."
