Former Nicaraguan foreign minister and newly appointed member of the U.N. Human Rights Council, Miguel D’Escoto, says that he will prioritize denouncing the U.S.-Colombian military base agreement before the committee, reports La FM on Wednesday.
According to D’Escoto, the “foreign bases” in Colombia “constitute a violation of the human rights” of Colombians and neighboring countries.
“The right to live in peace and tranquility is a human right, [and] the presence of American military bases next to our countries is a constant and perennial threat, especially for countries like Nicaragua who already know what these bases are used for,” said the former foreign policy chief under leftist President Daniel Ortega.
According to D’Escoto, Nicarauga “already knows the monster from within,” referring to the the U.S. use of a Honduran base in its fight against the Sandinista government in Nicaragua from 1979 to 1990.
Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega has been one of the many Latin American leaders highly critical of the U.S.-Colombian base deal. According to the deal, struck in 2009, the United States will have access to seven Colombian military bases in order to work with the Colombian armed forces in its fight against narco-trafficking and terrorism.