This might raise some knee-jerk hawkish reactions. But killing the agreement would help Colombia win sorely needed cooperation from its neighbors, especially Venezuela's president, Hugo Chávez. Leftist FARC guerrillas use Venezuela as a haven and, with other Colombian criminals, run drugs and arms through there, Ecuador and Brazil. The military pact, which governs U.S. use of seven Colombian bases, is seen by Chávez -- whether rationally or not -- as a threat. He almost went to war over it last year, and it also has cost Colombia support in the rest of the region. All this damages our interests against drugs and terrorism. Read more here. Semana International delivers news about Colombia in English. Find more in our home.