Latin American leaders are gathering in Argentina tomorrow for a summit of the Union of South American Nations, or UNASUR. The meeting is expected to focus on the expanded US military presence inside Colombia. Colombia has agreed to grant US forces the use of at least three military bases for anti-drug operations while also allowing hundreds of troops and private military contractors inside its borders. The plan has spiked tensions between Colombia and Venezuela. On Wednesday, Colombia lodged a complaint to the Organization of American States, accusing the Venezuelan government of interference in its vocal opposition to the US bases. Venezuela’s ambassador to the OAS, Roy Matos, defended Venezuelan concerns in light of US foreign policy.

Venezuelan Ambassador to OAS Roy Matos: “Wherever bases have been established, or were established, that belong to the powerhouse of the world, the military powerhouse, the economic one, the cultural one, etc., etc., the winds that have followed by the winds of war. In Vietnam, they began with a few little bases and small groups of advisers. That’s how they are going to begin now with these seven bases.”