Friday 28 August 2009

Alan García minimizes achievements of UNASUR and defends U.S. bases in Colombia

San Carlos de Bariloche, Argentina, 28 Ago. ABN.- Peru's President Alan García, on Friday downplayed the achievements of the Union of South American Nations (UNASUR) saying at the meeting of that body in San Carlos de Bariloche, Argentina, in the region "there is more conflict," that when there was no supranational organization.

The Peruvian president said the seven military bases in Colombia that the US will administer, “do not appear to be a threat” if they are to "support transportation and other areas," provided that "have nothing to do with the international deployment of a superpower in our region. "

"I do not consider it to be very serious," reiterated Garcia, who dismissed the efforts of UNASUR saying that before its existence, there had not been "so many conflicts" between the countries of the region.

However, he said, "I don’t think it would be bad in the continent if a commission took place in Colombia, to see that you are doing with those bases."

He recommended that the UNASUR Defense Council not only evaluate negotiations between countries of the region and others but also "any kind of military alliance that exists between us."

However, despite having downplayed the organization, Garcia said "the positive side in this situation, that seems very difficult, is that we have the opportunity to make a stronger institutional relaunch of our UNASUR.”

The Peruvian president praised the work of his Colombian counterpart, Álvaro Uribe, saying "I have no doubt that President Uribe is a Latin American patriot who wants to go down in history as a man who solved the terrible problems in Colombia."

Garcia referred to the speech by his Venezuelan counterpart Hugo Chávez, [who released] a White Paper on Aerial Mobility Command and Global Strategy of Bases of Support for the United States Government, and said, despite it being an official document of the Government U.S.: "I will not believe a letter released in such a manner."

Translated by Kiraz Janicke

No comments:

Post a Comment