The Sixth America Defense Ministerial Conference came to a close on November 19 at Quito, capital of Ecuador. At this 3-day meeting, the national defense ministers from 34 Latin American countries, with the exception of Cuba, mainly discussed matters concerning cooperation in the field of security and finally passed the Quito Statement consisting of 46 points of contents.  

The Quito Statement, on the one hand, stresses the importance of attacking terrorism and drug trafficking; on the other hand, it points out: Each country has the sovereign right to determine the priority topics for discussion on security and defense, at the same time, the international law and the norms of Organization of American States (OAS) and the United Nations should be respected. Then, how to determine the priority topics for discussion on the question of security? And how should various countries carry out cooperation? The participating countries have two entirely different opinions on these questions:

The opinion represented by the United States holds that the main threat to security comes from terrorism and drug-trafficking groups. The various American countries should establish a contingent of multinational forces and should turn the Pan-American Defense Committee into a leading organization of American security policies to jointly combat terrorism and drug-trafficking groups.

The importance US attached to counter-terrorism is understandable. Since the "September 11" terrorist attack, the United States has always regarded anti-terrorism as the focus of its security policy, hoping to root out terrorism in and outside its borders. But the United States also realizes that it cannot accomplish this by relying on its own strength alone. Therefore it hopes that various American countries can make anti-terrorism the cornerstone of their security policies, and strengthen cooperation among the armed forces of various countries under the anti-terror banner and establish a US-led "Western Hemisphere Security Structure". The American proposal won support from Colombia and several Central American countries.

Terrorism should, of course, be opposed, not a single country raise objection to this. However, many Latin American countries do not think that various American countries should regard terrorism as the main threat to security. Brazilian vice-president and defense minister points out that Brazil supports strengthening regional cooperation in the field of security, however, in order to make the struggle against terrorism fruitful, countries in the region cannot all resort to force, but rather they must consider certain "exclusive and unfair" phenomena that may give rise to an extreme attitude. The vice-president added that there does not exist in South American fundamentalism that generates terrorism, it is not that all countries should regard anti-terror as the primary task. In his opinion, the pressing task at the moment for American countries is to strengthen cooperation in jointly dealing with structural threat caused by poverty.

Brazil's attitude was resonated by some other Latin American countries. Panamanian defense minister said: Terrorism is a menace, famine and social inequality are also a kind of threat. Venezuelan defense minister said: In the face of the reality where there exist malnutrition, illiteracy and serious social difference, we should, first of all, cope with challenges unique to us, and give priority to the poorest population.

Many Latin American countries expressed their disapproval of the proposal on the establishment of a contingent of multinational forces raised by the United States, Colombia and some other countries. Mexican defense minister said in his speech that his country favors the idea of strengthening multilateral security cooperation, but it advocates that the right of various countries to independently make decisions should be respected, adding that there will never be a Mexican soldier to accept the order given by an American general.

Apparently, the differences among American countries on the question of security and strengthening security cooperation can hardly be overcome in the short term. Just as defense minister of Nicaragua said there exists not only one theory of security in the Americas.

(People's Daily November 23, 2004)