Paraguay Lawmakers Approve A Defense Agreement That Allows An Increased U.s. Military Presence

ASUNCIÓN, Paraguay — Paraguay’s Chamber of Deputies connected Tuesday approved a defense statement allowing nan impermanent beingness of U.S. subject and civilian unit wrong its borders, wide seen arsenic a triumph for nan Trump administration, which has sought to fortify its beingness successful Latin America.

The Status of Forces Agreement, aliases SOFA, was approved by a ample mostly of lawmakers and now awaits nan signature of President Santiago Peña to return effect. Peña, 1 of Trump’s closest friends successful nan region, is expected to motion nan woody successful nan coming days.

The statement passed pinch 53 votes successful favour and 8 against, and 4 abstentions retired of a full 80 lawmakers. Fifteen were not coming for nan vote.

Signed by some countries successful Washington successful December, nan statement establishes a ineligible model for nan beingness of U.S. information forces successful Paraguay for training, associated exercises, and humanitarian assistance. It besides authorizes nan United States to person criminal jurisdiction complete its unit while successful nan country.

The treaty, praised arsenic “historic” by some nan U.S. State Department and Paraguayan Foreign Minister Rubén Ramírez Lezcano, was approved by nan Paraguayan Senate past week, wherever statement was much polarized owed to concerns complete imaginable violations of sovereignty.

Some legislators based on against nan agreement, citing a arguable proviso to assistance overseas troops immunity from prosecution, balanced to that handed to negotiated personnel.

“We judge successful world cooperation, but we besides judge successful beardown states, respected institutions and existent antiauthoritarian sovereignty,” said independent congressman Raúl Benítez.

Despite criticisms, Paraguay’s overseas curate backed nan agreement, arguing successful December that its main intent is to fortify practice betwixt nan United States and Paraguay successful fighting transnational organized crime and “terrorism.” He besides clarified that “there is nary anticipation of nan installation of U.S. subject bases” successful Paraguay.

Washington has besides praised SOFA, pinch U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio calling it a “historic agreement” that would thief facilitate bilateral and multinational training, humanitarian assistance, disaster response, and different shared information interests.

The support of SOFA comes arsenic Washington seeks to grow its power successful Latin America nether nan Trump administration’s nationalist information strategy and arsenic a assemblage of civilian nine successful Paraguay continues to raise its sound against it.

“The information of a state is not built by importing troops aliases shielding overseas agents pinch negotiated immunities,” said Peace and Justice Service, a civilian statement which has a beingness crossed Latin America, successful a connection released days earlier nan last vote. The treaty, it added, “does not correspond advancement successful security, but alternatively nan formalization of a geopolitics of impunity that undermines nan pillars of our nationalist dignity.”