U.S. Suspends Military Aid to Nearly 50 Countries

Reuters ^ | July 1, 2003 | Reuters

[Pern]

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States on Tuesday suspended military assistance to nearly 50 countries, including Colombia and six nations seeking NATO membership, because they have supported the International Criminal Court and failed to exempt Americans from possible prosecution.

As the deadline passed for governments to sign exemption agreements or face the suspension of military aid, President Bush issued waivers for 22 countries.

But the 22 countries did not include Colombia, Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Slovakia and Slovenia.

Colombia, where the government is fighting leftist guerrillas and drug traffickers, has been one of the largest recipients of U.S. military aid in the world.

A U.S. official said that if countries had ratified the treaty setting up the international court and had not received a waiver, the ban on military aid would apply.

But the threat, enshrined in the American Service Members Protection Act of 2002, does not apply to the 19 NATO members and to nine "major non-NATO allies."

Based on the information initially available to Reuters, the countries subject to the suspension of military aid are:

Andorra, Antigua and Barbuda, Austria, Barbados, Belize, Benin, Brazil, Bulgaria, Cambodia, Central African Republic, Colombia, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cyprus, Dominica, Ecuador, Estonia, Fiji, Finland, Ireland, Latvia, Lesotho, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Malawi, Mali, Malta, Marshall Islands, Namibia, Nauru, Niger, Paraguay, Peru, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, San Marino, Serbia and Montenegro, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, Sweden, Switzerland, Tanzania, Trinidad and Tobago, Uruguay, Venezuela and Zambia.

The countries which received presidential waivers are:

Albania, Afghanistan, Bolivia, Bosnia, Botswana, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Djibouti, East Timor, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Honduras, Macedonia, Mauritius, Mongolia, Nigeria, Panama, Romania, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Tajikistan and Uganda.

[KarlInOhio]

Why bother with convictions? Summary executions would be even more effective than waiting for a trial.

How long of prison term for those convicted of publicly questioning the WoSD? Will that term be longer or shorter than those who do not cheer with enough zeal at the executions?

[Gunrunner2]

And, oh by the way, US military aid is in the form of FMF; i.e., US bucks held in a US Government account administered by DFAS, and any funds spent by Egypt are US bucks spent on US equipment. . .never touching Egyptian hands or passing through Egyptian channels--the bucks never leave the US.

We do not GIVE them bucks, we provide them US credit dollars to spend on US items in the states, and the bill is sent directly by US industry to the US government.

Egypt receives no dollars, just US military equipment and training.

Where on Earth did you get the idea we just passed bucks to Egypt?

[Radioactive]

You said..."We need to cut off all of these blood suckers, not just a select few."

I say...." What the hell are we doing sending money to all these countries when we are broke?

We are 43 trillion in debt. YES ....43 trillion.

The net worth of the US is 40 Trillion. WE are broke!!!!!!!!!!

The sates are ccomplaining that they have no money......and yet we are sending military aid to all these countries?????

This country is DOOOMED.

We are on a collision course with bankruptcy and we cannot stop our habit of spening money in order to buy freinds.

DOOMED I SAY!!!!DOOMED!!!!!!!

[archy]

Where is Columbia?

Go to Vancouver and turn North, eh!

[sandydipper]

We should cut off aide of every kind to every foreign country. Then Congress Critters could come home and get a real job and our tax base would be zip.

[sarasota]

It's at all the movie rental stores. Great cast, great editing, masterful use of sepia and color intermingled. I had to watch it twice to get all the innuendo and probably still missed a lot of it. (Catharine Zeta Jones, Michael Douglas and a Spanish (?) actor who's superb, to name a few.

[sarasota]

Yes it was but it struck a chord of reality. Didn't you keep wonder who was on which side of the drug trade?

[William McKinley]

Significant in which way? Do you think cutting off aid to them is a good thing or a bad thing?

[gcruse]

I can't get used to having a real President. Maybe Clinton is right about dumping the two-term limit.

[hattend]

As the deadline passed for governments to sign exemption agreements or face the suspension of military aid, President Bush issued waivers for 22 countries.

Waived countries still get the aid.

But the 22 countries did not include Colombia, Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Slovakia and Slovenia.

Colombia got the ax.

[Gunrunner2]

Okay, perhaps, but for entertainment value only, never to be confused as a factual source.

Rant on. . .
Movies are generally and usually fiction of the worst kind. . .even when supposedly based upon a "true" event.

Movies are meant to evoke emotion and to convey a message, not depict historical and factual truth. All too often a Hollyweird production is nothing more than a warped opinion by a warped director, regarding a subject they think they know about merely because they watch movies. Life is more complicated than a movie.

Rant off. . .

[sarasota]

Have you seen the film?

[Stultis]

The US has military activites in both countries, but I expect that with the possibility of further involvement in colombia in the future, the US wants that agreement with them NOW.

If it's because we are, or intend to be, "playing rough" against the FARC, or maybe even running ops against that Marxist/Lenninist President-for-life wannabe in Venezuela, then it's a good thing. What's the fall-back plan if the Colombians don't sign, however?

[Stultis]

Bump.

[Stultis]

See Also:

U.S. Bans Military Aid to Almost 50 Countries (Colombia included)

[WoofDog123]

"What's the fall-back plan if the Colombians don't sign, however?
"

That is a good question. We might find out.

[Feiny]

Now, if we would only cut off all money paid to the United Nations.....

[Gunrunner2]

Why should I?

I have no interest in drug trade fiction.

[Action-America]

First sentence:  The United States on Tuesday suspended military assistance to nearly 50 countries, including Colombia...

Second sentence:  ...President Bush issued waivers for 22 countries.

Third sentence:  But the 22 countries [receiving waivers] did not include Colombia, ...

Since Colombia did not receive a waiver, military aid to Colombia is being cut off.

 

[Dr Warmoose]

I could solve the drug problem in about 2 years

What are you some sort of Muslim?

Everybody knows that the cure for this nation's drug addiction is to decriminalize it. Make it legal, and it will dry up overnight!