Uribe wins some, loses some on whirlwind tour (make that "won ONE.")

[Judi Lynn]

Uribe wins some, loses some on whirlwind tour
By MICHAEL WARREN (AP) – 16 hours ago

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina — Colombian President Alvaro Uribe has said almost nothing in public about his meetings with South American presidents this week in response to fears that the U.S. military could become too powerful on the continent if given long-term leases on Colombian bases.

Halfway through his trip, Uribe won solid support in Peru, and Chile's president called the U.S. bases deal an internal matter for Colombia only days after she said the whole region had legitimate concerns. But Bolivia's Evo Morales blasted the U.S. plans Wednesday, while Uribe had very little to say during his stop in Argentina.

Still on the agenda for Uribe were meetings with leftist presidents in Paraguay, Uruguay and Brazil — the latter where the U.S. national security adviser, Jim Jones, acknowledged the deal could have been explained better to the region's leaders.

U.S. officials haven't released details, but Colombians have said U.S. forces would have access to at least seven Colombian bases. They say there would be no more than 1,400 American personnel in the country helping support Colombia's fight against drug trafficking and leftist rebels.

"There is no magic, nothing secret under the table," Jones said. "Just to make sure, we will send a military briefing team around to interested countries in the region to make sure everybody understands what this is and what this isn't.

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[Bacchus39]

1. I count 2, Chile and Peru

seems to me though, this task falls to Obama as much if not more than Uribe.

[rabs]

2. I saw the video of Uribe leaving La Moneda yesterday

after alvarito met with Bachelet for a little more than an hour.

Bachelet did not appear with uribito and let her foreign minister speak. He made a bland, very diplomatic statement that Chile respects the soverignity of all nations, including Colombia. He did not say what transpired at the Bachelet/uribito meeting.

So for the AP to assume that Chile is on the side of alvarito is, as they say in these here parts, a pile of bull-pucky.

Notice that the AP article buries the fact that Cristina was critical of the base plans after she met with uribito.

The UNASUR meeting in Quito next week will make clear what each president told uribito during his "mute" tour.

[Judi Lynn]

3. That should clear out the cobwebs for people who can't put the pieces together correctly!

Really looking forward to that meeting.

You have to wonder if any of the standard corporate sources will break with tradition and report any of it honestly.

[Judi Lynn]

4. It's meaningful she didn't stand for a photo op with the little worm, you're 100% right.

Why would she want to, anyway?

Alvaro Uribe, what a creepy little oddity. He's very much like a thin Peter Lorre.