Free Speech Radio News

South American presidents debate US-Colombia military deal

South American presidents are meeting in Argentina to debate a controversial military agreement between Colombia and the United States.

The agreement would allow the US armed forces to use at least seven military bases on Colombian soil. Colombia and the State Department say US forces will use the bases to conduct anti-drug trafficking operations.

But some South American presidents say the bases could be used to spy on Colombia´s neighbors or to launch attacks against regimes that are unfavorable to US policies. Venezuela´s President Chavez once again expressed his fears about the deal, quoting a document from the US Military´s Air Mobility Command.

“Recently the US Southern Command has taken interest in using a location of the South American continent, that could be used for anti-drug trafficking operations or for mobility operations. The US Southern Command has identified the Palanquero air force base in Colombia, as a cooperation security location. Provided there is adequate fuel supplies a CS-17 plane should cover the whole continent from this location, except for the southern tip of Chile and Argentina.”

But not all agreed with Chavez. Peruvian President Alan Garcia said this document wasn’t sufficient proof the US planned to launch attacks from Colombian locations. Colombia´s President, Alvaro Uribe, showed his colleagues pictures of victims of the FARC guerrillas, who finance their activities with drug trafficking. In an emotional tone, Uribe said South American countries should show more solidarity with Colombia in its fight against drug traffickers and guerrilla groups.

“We´re talking about fighting a threat that has caused much blood shed in Colombian society. This is not simply a theoretical debate on sovereignty or judicial rights. Europe, Canada and the US have declared these are terrorist groups and it makes us very uneasy to see that Latin American countries have not done the same.”

The US-Colombia military agreement comes as several South American nations are increasing arms purchases and reaching military agreements with foreign powers like Russia and the EU.

Argentine farmers protest government export taxes

Farmers in Argentina are holding a nation-wide strike against the government´s agricultural policies. FSRN´s Marie Trigona has more from Buenos Aires.

Change of guard expected in Japan´s parliamentary elections

Japan is holding parliamentary elections this Sunday. Prime Minister Taro Aso is running for re-election; his party, the Liberal Democratic Party has ruled the country for the past 50 years through coalitions or outright majorities in parliament.

But the Liberal Democratic Party or LDP, is likely to lose its grip on power to the Democratic Party of Japan, a center-left group that´s set to win a substantial majority of the seats in the powerful lower house of the Japanese legislature. Japan is slowly recovering from a recession and both parties have different ideas on how to generate more employment and how to restart the country´s once powerful economy.

Analysts say that economic policies aside, the Democratic Party of Japan´s likely takeover is a significant development in Japanese history after half a century of LDP rule. FSRN spoke to Professor Jeff Kingston, the director of Asian Studies at Temple University Japan.

Pentagon profiles war reporters

Critics are reacting to news that the Pentagon is keeping tabs on reporters covering the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The military has contracted a company that evaluates reporters’ coverage of military operations. But some say these profiles are being used to determine which reporters get access to the front lines and which don’t. Tanya Snyder reports.

Housing and redevelopment lagging as New Orleans commemorates Katrina anniversary

New Orleans will commemorate the fourth anniversary of Hurricane Katrina on Saturday. Local newspapers report an increase in small businesses opening and the city´s tourism is on the rebound, figures are up from last year, with hotel occupancy at 65 percent in July.

Despite some signs of recovery, rebuilding efforts are still incomplete. Human rights observers in the United States and abroad continue to raise concerns about the US government’s approach to housing and redevelopment. From New Orleans, FSRN’s Sacajawea Hall reports.

Martin Luther King´s “I Have a Dream” speech turns 46

Today marks the 46th anniversary of the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom and the first anniversary of this march during which the United States has a black president. On August 28th 1963, an estimated two to three hundred thousand people marched from the Washington Monument to the Lincoln Memorial. It was here that Martin Luther King Jr delivered the historic ”I Have a Dream” speech.