Colombia, US may sign Military Pact

COLOMBIA: Colombian Foreign Affairs Minister Jaime Bermudez stated today the government may sign a polemic military agreement with the US without passing it to Congress.

Bermudez, who is taking part in an event promoted by the Organization of American States (OAS), stated the Executive Power has the arguments to sign the agreement without passing it to the Legislative. He also said the government is convinced that all requirements are carried out and there's no need to pass it to Congress.

Regarding military agreement between Bogota and Washington there'll be at least 1 400 US soldiers at Colombia; eight hundred permanently and other 600 under contracting conditions.

Colombia and the USA sustain this agreement which is aimed to fight drug trafficking in Colombia. This argument is considered by other countries of the region as a pretext to cover Pentagon geopolitical real intensions.

On the other hand, the US Congress approved last week the Department of Defense's budget of 680 billion dollars for 2010. Bogota, Prensa Latina