CARTAGENA, Colombia -- The United States has begun talks with several countries to find new bases of operation in Central and South America for the American military forces that must soon leave Panama, American officials said Tuesday.
The discussions, while preliminary, have taken on new urgency because the United States has to close its principal airfield in Panama by May 1 as part of its agreement to relinquish control of the Panama Canal by the end of 1999.The airfield, Howard Air Force Base, a few miles west of Panama City, supports the bulk of the aircraft and other forces involved in American-led efforts to stop the flow of cocaine and other drugs flowing from South America to the United States. Without new bases by that deadline, American commanders fear there could be an interruption in the interdiction flights.
The Pentagon has held talks with Honduras, Peru and Ecuador about the possibility of allowing small numbers of surveillance aircraft, like AWACS planes, to use existing airfields in those countries, senior defense officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity because of diplomatic sensitivities inherent in America's military presence in the region.
Defense Secretary William Cohen said he had discussed the issue with a number of countries gathered here for a three-day conference of defense ministers from the Americas but had not made a decision or reached an agreement on the bases.
Gen. Charles E. Wilhelm, commander of all American forces in Central and South America, declined Tuesday to identify prospective sites but said in an interview, "We need to be close to the regions where we need to operate."
The Pentagon had hoped to reach agreement with Panama to maintain a presence, but those negotiations faltered in September over the Americans' insistence that the United States still be able mount other military operations from the base, not just those involving drugs.