US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has sought to calm fears in Latin America about a planned new military agreement with Colombia.

美国国务卿希拉里克林顿就美国与哥伦比亚计划的一项军事协议提醒拉美国家不必担忧。

Mrs Clinton said the US was not seeking its own bases in Colombia

Some countries in the region have expressed alarm over the US plans to use Colombian bases to combat drug traffickers and rebels.

But Mrs Clinton said the accord would respect Colombian sovereignty and other countries would not be affected¹.

It would also not lead to a significant increase in US troop numbers, she said.

Speaking after talks in Washington with Colombian Foreign Minister Jaime Bermudez, Mrs Clinton said the agreement would not lead to the creation of US bases in Colombia.

"It does provide the United States access to Colombian bases but command and control, administration and security will be Columbia's responsibility," she said.

"Any US activity will have to be mutually agreed upon in advance. The United States does not have and does not seek bases inside Columbia."

She also said there would be "no significant permanent increase in the US military and contractor² presence in Colombia" and that other countries were not affected.

"This is about the bilateral³ cooperation（双边合作） between the United States and Colombia regarding security matters within Colombia," she said.

Regional benefit

Under the deal, the US military will be able to operate on Colombian soil to tackle drug-trafficking and terrorism.

Mrs Clinton said the threats were very real and that the US was "committed to supporting the government of Colombia in its efforts to provide security to all its citizens".

Mr Bermudez said developing "more effective mechanisms⁴ of cooperation" would benefit both Colombia and the region.

"We have suffered, and we have learned from the lessons as a result of this suffering," he said.

A number of countries in the region have condemned⁵ the plan and Argentina has called the move "not helpful".

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has expressed fears the move would amount to preparation for an invasion of his country by US forces.