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Colombia: When Uribe Meets Obama
By Aldo Civico
On Monday, the president of Colombia Álvaro Uribe
will come face to face with president Barack Obama.
The meeting is scheduled at a very sensitive moment
for Colombia. Used to considerable familiarity with
president Bush, Colombia is probably one of the few
countries in the world where the election of the
first U.S. African-American president was greeted
with skepticism.
The leadership of the country has been anxious to
approve a free trade agreement currently opposed by
the U.S. Congress. Colombians took offense for such
resistance.
Domestic concerns urge Uribe to meet with President
Obama; blamed for neglecting relationships with
democrats, he needs to demonstrate to the country's
leadership that he is in good terms with the Obama
administration.
The anxiety many feel in Colombia about Obama is
inflated. Beyond the rhetoric of change, the first
months of the Obama administration have indicated a
pragmatic and prudent approach to international
affairs. Such attitude will guide also the relation
with Colombia, an important U.S. ally in the region.
Nevertheless, president Uribe arrives in Washington
when grave scandals question his government.
At a time when Washington is designing a new Plan
Colombia, many elements may complicate the relation
between the two countries: a second reelection of
Uribe -- which he is strenuously pursuing; illegal
wiretaps and surveillance of judges, journalists and
political opponents by the Colombian intelligence
agency; and the extrajudicial killings, the
so-called "false positives," of hundreds if not
thousands of civilians by the army.
The Obama administration, in continuation of the
Bush years, vigorously supports the stabilization
and reconstruction policy to consolidate former
guerrilla dominated areas secured by the Colombian
armed forces. The strategy mirrors U.S. efforts in
Afghanistan and Iraq. But it is very likely that if
there will be a second reelection Congress will
deepen its inflexibility, conditioning in
significant ways the aid to Colombia. A new
reelection sends the message that Colombia has no
leadership beyond Uribe and that Colombia's
democracy is after all not in optimal health.
Uribe will need to convey two messages to president
Obama: that he renounces to a third term because the
conditions subsist for a new president to
consolidate Uribe's security policy; and that the
so-called "false positives" will not fall into
forgetfulness and impunity.
The Obama administration has still not delineated in
an accurate manner its policy towards Latin America
and Colombia in particular. Apart from a photo
opportunity, the meeting between the two presidents
can turn into an important political opportunity.
But much will depend on the message president Uribe
will relay to the White House. |
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