On Friday the US relinquished control of their only military base in Ecuador which had been used to stop drug runners from importing drugs into the United States. With the new partnership with Colombia which will allow the US to set up bases in Colombia and arrest drug cartels at the source, there is no longer any need for a base in Ecuador. With the US leaving the base, ecuadorian authorities moved into the base to resume anti drug operations.
It was clear that the Ecuadorian forces were ecstatic to see US forces leave. “Never again foreign bases on Ecuadoran territory, never again a sale of the flag,” stated Foreign Minister of Ecuador, Fander Falconi.
The Foreign minister rebuked the former Ecuadorian administration who signed over access to Ecuador to the US in 1999. The ten year deal just recently expired. The base which the US occupied took up about five percent of a larger ecuadorian base.
The withdrawal of forces has been a long time coming as the President Rafael Correa is not fond of US military presence in his country. Correa declined to renew the agreement in July of 2008 as the US began their final anti drug operation in Ecuador.
Do you think that the US has a right to occupy other countries to cut off drug cartels at the source? These nations are agreeing to our terms so there is nothing wrong right? Chavez would disagree. Hugo Chavez, Venezuelan leader, believes that the US bullies other nations into deals and that we have no right to set up bases in Colombia so close to his country. The somewhat paranoid leader fears that the US anti drug operation is really a means to set up forces for an invasion of Venezuela.
