U.S. ambassador to Colombia
New U.S. ambassador takes up Colombia post, shadowed by rocky tenure in Venezuela
Thursday, September 13, 2007
BOGOTA, Colombia: The new U.S. ambassador to Colombia assumed his post amid concerns Washington is neglecting its staunchest ally in the region and questions about the role of Venezuela's Hugo Chavez in a proposed hostage swap.
Ambassador William Brownfield appointment Wednesday as the top U.S. diplomat in Colombia follows three years as ambassador to Venezuela, a tenure marked by growing hostility between the two governments.
On at least two occasions Chavez threatened to expel the Texas-born diplomat, accusing him of meddling in Venezuela's affairs with public acts like handing out baseball bats in pro-Chavez slums. Brownfield left the post in June.
As he took over the diplomatic post in Colombia on Wednesday, Brownfield was once again queried about Chavez, Washington's strongest critic in the region. This time the questions were about Chavez's efforts to win the release of three U.S. defense contractors being held by leftist rebels in Colombia since 2003.
"We look upon favorably the participation of any leader, public servant, politician or important person of any country in the world in an effort to produce the quick and safe release of the three American hostages," Brownfield responded to reporters' questions.
Since last month, Chavez has been trying to broker a deal between Colombia's government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia that would free imprisoned rebels in exchange for dozens of rebel hostages.
Among the FARC's hostages that could be freed are French-Colombian Ingrid Betancourt, abducted as she campaigned for president of Colombia in 2002, and U.S. defense contractors Marc Gonsalves, Thomas Howes and Keith Stansell, were snatched after their plane crashed in 2003 during an anti-drug mission.
Brownfield will also be expected to reassure Colombians that Washington is not neglecting its staunchest ally in the region and its caretaker in the war on drugs.
Officials here have voiced frustration over the U.S. Congress' refusal to ratify a trade agreement and a plan to slash more than US$100 million (€72 million) in annual military aid.
In an interview Wednesday, Defense Minister Juan Manuel Santos said cuts in funding could lead to increased cocaine production and hurt intelligence gathering on suspected druglords.
"It's the worst moment to be considering cutting off aid — right when we're pennies short of our goal," Santos said.
The cuts, contained in different versions of the 2008 foreign aid bill passed by the Senate and House, must still be approved by the White House, which opposes any cuts in aid to Colombia.
