SOUTH AMERICA: Argentina and Colombia ceded to US pressure at the weekend, announcing legal measures that exempt visiting military personnel from prosecution provisions under the International Criminal Court (ICC).
Argentinian President Eduardo Duhalde announced that the status of US marines participating in jungle manoeuvres next month would be upgraded to "administrative embassy staff", thus conferring diplomatic immunity. The stiffest sanction facing a US marine who shot dead a dozen civilians in Buenos Aires would be arrest and deportation.
The regrading tactic also avoided a potential Congressional defeat as legislators oppossed any exemption clause for US troops.
The controversial decision came as anti-American feelings ran high in Argentina where citizens blame US pressure for the lack of international funds to kickstart their moribund economy.
US army manoeuvres will begin next month in Misiones province, close to the triple border area (Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay), where the US is anxious to gain a foothold, claiming it is a haven for terror suspects.
The US exercises come in the wake of similar events in Bolivia last year where US trainers directed troops from eight neighbouring countries, raising fears of a multinational intervention plan to defeat FARC rebels in Colombia.
Meanwhile Colombian Justice Minister Mr Fernando Londoño bowed to similar pressure, exempting US personnel and Colombian insurgents from ICC provisions.
The exemption clause guarantees immunity from prosecution to anyone on Colombian soil who commits listed crimes such as the recruitment of children, the bombing of cities, hamlets or towns, rape or any other form of sexual violence, slavery and the killing of enemy troops after they have surrendered. The clause, which takes effect in November, will have a lifetime of seven years, coinciding with a likely escalation in the internal conflict.
Colombian officials defended the measure as crucial to future rebel-government peace negotiations but critics insist that amnesty provisions can be ratified within ICC structures and that the exemption was driven by US pressure.
Colombia, the third-largest recipient of US aid in the western hemisphere, has become increasingly reliant on US aid in tackling left-wing insurgents.
The US government is establishing bases throughout the region as growing social unrest threatens expanding trade interests. Voters in Venezuela, Argentina, Peru, Ecuador and Brazil have swung to the left as free market policies increase poverty levels.