Polo Democratico : We say No to U.S. Military Bases in Colombia

<U>Polo Democratico Alternativo</U>,
PDA, National Executive Committee, Bogota, July 30, 2009

- 1. The government of Alvaro Uribe has announced a decision to grant the United States the use of military bases on national territory by way of an agreement that would place all of the Colombian land mass at U.S. disposal for all types of military operations inside and outside of our country. Within Colombia a foreign army would become involved in the internal armed conflict thereby exacerbating confrontation and making peace more elusive. Colombia would also become a military stationing platform for aggressive expansion of the North American world power in our region, impacting the stability of neighboring democratic and progressive governments and interfering with important plans toward the integration of Latin America and the Caribbean.

– 2. In addition to making a disgrace of our national sovereignty, Uribe’s decision turns Colombia into a foothold for the U.S. and its allies to carry out their plans of attacking Latin American nations that do not tow the U.S. line or that weaken its continental hegemony. It is part and parcel of an offensive by reactionary forces and the empire, which recently staged the coup d’etat in Honduras against the legitimate president of that country, Jose Manuel Zelaya.

– 3. This unwarranted concession is contrary to the Colombian Constitution. Both the articles relevant to these matters as well as the appropriate decision-making processes were disrespected. This is one of the most flagrant violations against a Government of Laws committed by the Uribe administration.

– 4. War is a lucrative business for a small group of multinational corporations that live off their security and defense contracts with the State Department and the Pentagon. Behind the façade of a war against narco-trafficking and terrorism we find the highly profitable operations of the military industrial complex ranging from arms and munitions production to contracts with mercenary outfits around the globe.

– 5. The increasing submission of the Colombian military to the U.S. continues the failed anti-drug policy outlined by Plan Colombia. It will mean the worsening of the economic, social and environmental problems that Colombia has endured for more than a decade and the further deterioration of the humanitarian and human rights crisis.

– 6. Even less acceptable is the application of judicial immunity to the North American military and mercenaries who will be given diplomatic protection for any and all crimes committed in Colombia. The precedent established by criminal acts perpetrated by United States’ military personnel-here and in other countries-by logic transforms the so-called immunity into a grant of impunity.

Given the above considerations, the Polo Democratico Alternativo-PDA- issues :

a) an invitation to political and social organizations, intellectuals, advocates of democracy and human rights activists in Colombia and the continent, to meet soon to reach agreement on a common agenda and a statement against this decision, which undermines Colombia’s national sovereignty and affects the democratic and peaceful stability of the region.

b) a call for a National Day of Mobilization and Protest against war and the military bases in Colombia, in defense of national sovereignty, and for peace in the region.

c) a call for a national and continental campaign against U.S. militarization and intervention in Latin America which we hope will be joined by progressive and democratic forces throughout the world.

d) the expression of sentiments of friendship, solidarity and support for all nations of Latin America, their peoples and the governments which legitimately represent them.