William Brownfield was quoted by Colombian radio station Caracol
The Colombian government claims the military agreement is not a new pact, but falls under what has previously been approved by the country’s Congress and thus will not have to be ratified.
Colombian Foreign Minister Jaime Bermudez met Thursday Morning with the Presidents of the Senate and the House of Representatives to explain why Congress is being left out of the process.
Following this meeting, House president Edgar Gomez told reporters that “it is not an international treaty but a simplified agreement that develops obligations in multilateral treaties signed by Colombia and the United States, [treaties] which were revised by Congress and the Constitutional Court at the time of signing.” the press release reads.
After passing the agreement, the U.S. will be allowed to use seven Colombian military bases for “counterterrorism and counternarcotics” operations. The pact caused controversy amon neighbors, who consider an increase in U.S. military activity in South America a threat to their sovereignty.