Colombia’s Gains Are America’s, Too

[Zorro]

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THE dramatic rescue of 15 hostages this month by Colombia’s special forces underscored how far Colombia has progressed — with the strong support of the United States — from a nation under siege by narcoterrorists and paramilitary vigilantes to one poised to become a linchpin of security and prosperity in South America.

As we meet today in Washington to discuss the United States-Colombia security relationship, we want to take stock of what has been gained over the past decade and commit our two nations to continue this progress.

The remarkable transformation of the security situation in Colombia can be credited in large part to the improvement in the capacity of its military and police — an improvement in which American security assistance has played a key role. The governments of both nations agree that this assistance should continue until the job is finished. Furthermore, we should also increase trade and investment by moving forward on the United States-Colombia Trade Promotion Agreement that is now before Congress. Growing prosperity and better standards of living are indispensable to achieving lasting stability in both countries.

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More at: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/23/opinion/23gates.html

[Texano78704]

1. Gates and Santos

Two guys I would not trust with a nickel, much less $5 billion.

I noticed that the FARC and "remnants of these bandit armies" figure prominently, but no mention of the AUC or the word "paramilitary." No surprises there.