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Court rules against Colombia-US base accord
The Constitutional Court ruled Tuesday that last year's agreement giving the U.S. military access to more Colombian bases is unconstitutional because it wasn't approved by legislators.
The court's 6-3 decision said, however, that the ruling does not affect U.S. military personnel and contractors working from Colombian bases covered by earlier accords.
This means any U.S. personnel at the seven bases included in the 2009 pact could shift to bases permitted by previous agreements while the government decides whether to put the latest accord before Congress, where new President Juan Manuel Santos has a big majority.
Last year's agreement with Washington intensified frictions with neighboring Venezuela, with President Hugo Chavez, a strong critic of U.S. influence in Latin America, calling it a threat to his country. Brazil and Bolivia also criticized the deal, saying it would unsettle the balance of forces in the region.
Santos, who was defense minister from 2006 to early 2009 before running for president, has consistently defended the agreement on the grounds it "improve our ability to combat drug trafficking and terrorism."