29429: Karshan (news) US Southern Command Center in DR? (DR1) (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: Michelle Karshan <michelle.karshan@gmail.com>

*DR1 Nov 2, 2006*
**
*5. US Southern Command Center in DR?*
The explanation for President Leonel Fernandez's 1:10 minute-meeting with
President Bush on 25 October followed by a 45-minute meeting with US
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice the next day could be filtering through.
Press coverage of the trip had reported that the US had decided to aid the
Dominican Republic by providing radar equipment and other tools, to be
placed on the border with Haiti, aimed at fighting drug, arms and human
trafficking. Today, Clave Digital reports that a proposal for the creation
of a US Southern Command Center for Military Operations in the DR was made
on 19 October. "It will be equipped with modern technological resources,
specialized units for handling natural resources, military police and other
activities related to the threats that the country faces at present," states
the proposal. Clave Digital points out that the Dominican authorities have
not explained where the center will be installed, nor defined the threats to
the country that justify this foreign military presence. The online
newspaper says that the decision was communicated to DR Armed Forces
Minister Major General Ramon Aquino. Although the center's planned location
is not mentioned, earlier this year there were extensive reports of intense
US military movements in the southwest of the country.
See commentaries on
http://www.dr1.com/forums/dr-debates/48035-observation-frontier-us-troops.html
--
Michelle Karshan
Michelle.Karshan@gmail.com
212-613-6033