U.S. Seeks Greater Security Cooperation in Latin America

Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld met with several of his Latin American counterparts here Tuesday and urged greater cooperation to combat the region’s growing problems of drug trafficking, kidnapping and international terrorist financing.

The humanitarian and security crisis in Haiti also was on the agenda when Rumsfeld met with the defense ministers of Argentina and Brazil, which have committed two of the largest contingents of troops to a United Nations-led mission in the Caribbean nation.

Argentine Defense Minister Jose Pampuro expressed concern that the U.N. had sent only about two-thirds of an 8,300-strong peacekeeping force to Haiti. His concern was echoed by Brazilian Vice President Jose Alencar.

“The United Nations has been moving very slowly in assembling the force,” said a senior U.S. defense official at the conference.

Rumsfeld’s meetings and his session with Central American defense ministers came on the eve of a regional security conference, during which Pentagon officials plan to press Latin American nations to cooperate more closely on such issues as drugs, terrorism and the rise of youth gangs. Washington fears that all of those problems will pose even greater threats to U.S. security if left unaddressed.

Although countries of the region are beginning to see the benefits of greater economic cooperation in recent years, “we need to strengthen security cooperation, so we can see the benefits there,” Rumsfeld said during a news conference with Ecuadorean Defense Minister Nelson Herrera.

Failure to deal directly with the issues of drugs and terrorism, U.S. officials argue, could lead to more countries in Latin America experiencing internal conflicts like those Colombia faces. Colombia has been roiled for years by violence among left-wing rebels, right-wing paramilitary groups and government forces, as the lines between political agendas and drug trafficking have blurred.

“Colombia learned this too late, that’s why they’re in the situation they are in today,” the senior U.S. defense official said.

U.S. officials are particularly worried that the region where Brazil, Argentina and Paraguay converge, with its large Arab population, has become a fundraising hub for militant groups such as Hamas and Hezbollah. American intelligence agencies believe that international terrorists may be operating in the region, although they have no concrete evidence of cells plotting to attack the United States.

The problem of international terrorism in Latin America, officials say, could become more acute as terrorists seek to exploit what Rumsfeld calls the “seams” that exist between the security infrastructures of various nations.

“They look for weaknesses, they look for seams, they look for vulnerabilities. They use borders to their advantage,” Rumsfeld said during the news conference.

Yet many questions remain about how countries in the region might deal with these threats. One of the key issues defense ministers at the Quito conference will grapple with today is the extent to which each country’s military ought to become involved in what are essentially domestic security issues.

The militaries in many Latin American countries are widely viewed as more competent than domestic law enforcement agencies. Yet the region’s bloody history of military dictatorships has made democratic governments wary of using the military to deal with domestic threats.

Although Washington would like to see Latin American militaries and law enforcement agencies work together more closely, Pentagon officials stress that it is up to each nation to decide the appropriate balance.

One recent example of Latin American cooperation that Pentagon officials cite is the peacekeeping force attempting to restore order in Haiti. The multinational force operates under a U.N. flag, yet is led by about 1,200 Brazilian troops and includes soldiers from Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Guatemala, Peru and Uruguay.

As a February revolt drove out Haitian President Jean-Bertrand Aristide, the Pentagon dispatched a contingent of U.S. Marines to the Caribbean nation. The U.N. force was brought in after the Marines’ mission ended.

However, the United Nations has yet to make good on its promise on security personnel for Haiti. The force currently is made up of about 5,700 soldiers and police officers from 13 nations.

During a meeting with Herrera, the Ecuadorean defense minister, Rumsfeld praised the host nation’s aid in the efforts against Colombian drug traffickers. The Pentagon has an air base in the Ecuadorean town of Manta, from which the U.S. military operates drug interdiction flights.