Colombia's Santos seeks US clarification on spying

[Judi Lynn]

Source: Associated Press

Colombia's Santos seeks US clarification on spying
By VIVIAN SEQUERA Associated Press
Posted: 08/08/2013 04:01:55 PM PDT
Updated: 08/08/2013 05:10:32 PM PDT

BOGOTA, Colombia—President Juan Manuel Santos said Thursday that he is seeking clarification from Washington on whether its intelligence-gathering in Colombia has overstepped the countries' joint operations against drug traffickers and illegal armed groups.

Santos said in an interview with The Associated Press that U.S. Vice President Joe Biden called him about the issue following revelations by former U.S. intelligence contractor Edward Snowden that massive U.S digital snooping has targeted allies as well as foes.

He said Biden offered a series of technical explanations. Asked if he was satisfied with them, Santos replied curtly, "We are in that process."

Colombia has long been Washington's closest ally in South America with Washington supplying it with eavesdropping equipment, technicians and aerial surveillance.

Read more: http://www.dailybulletin.com/news/ci_23824505/colombias-santos-seeks-us-clarification-spying#ixzz2bQc9eMc9

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On edit:

Interesting fact offered later in the article:

Before his 2010 election, Santos was defense minister for three years and was among Colombian officials who sought and welcomed U.S. technical support in electronic eavesdropping.

[Purveyor]

1. Biden offering 'technical explanations'? Ooookay!

[David Krout]

2. He is pretending to be tough, publicly

In private, these Presidents know whats going on, and cooperate with the US.

[Spitfire of ATJ]

3. "Colombia has long been Washington's closest ally in South America"

LOL!!!

A country that has been in a "civil war" for decades and murders anyone trying to form a union.

Figures we would consider them an ally since they let the CIA cash in on the cocaine.

They're also a great place to order henchmen. You need a guy handy with a sniper scope and another guy that's a musician with an Uzi? No problem. Want a trophy after the hit? Ears are popular.

[Lugal Zaggesi]

4. I'm sure they're "making progress on Human Rights and Democracy", like Saudi Arabia...

[center]Plan Colombia
Noam Chomsky
Excerpted from Rogue States, 2000

In 1999, Colombia became the leading recipient of US military and police assistance, replacing Turkey (Israel and Egypt are in a separate category). Colombia receives more US military aid than the rest of Latin America and the Caribbean combined. The total for 1999 reached about $300 million, along with $60 million in arms sales, approximately a threefold increase from 1998. The figure is scheduled to increase still more sharply with the anticipated passage of some version of Clinton’s Colombia Plan, submitted to Congress in April 2000, which called for a $1.6 billion “emergency aid” package for two years. Through the 1990s, Colombia has been by far the leading recipient of US military aid in Latin America, and has also compiled by far the worst human rights record, in conformity with a well-established and long-standing correlation.[/center]

Colombia - reliably rightwing, pro-Global-0.1% for decades.
http://www.chomsky.info/books/roguestates08.htm

[Spitfire of ATJ]

5. And to think that some people can only associate "Columbia" with "coffee".

[Judi Lynn]

6. So sad the US citizens have been required to support them with tax dollars.

Only country I've heard of where people the right-wing doesn't want to live can be murdered with chain saws publicly. Endless grieving and terror for those who are in the way of the connected elite.