Latin, Caribbean allies hail new U.S. Southern Command chief

Latin American and Caribbean military leaders are looking to the new U.S. Southern Command chief to continue partnerships in the region.

• Photo

BY JOHN YEARWOOD

jyearwood@MiamiHerald.com

The United States and Nicaragua are in a heated political fight over disputed municipal elections in the Central American country, leading to the freezing of millions of dollars in U.S. aid. But it was difficult to tell that the two nations were at loggerheads Thursday from the handshakes and smiles at the U.S. Southern Command, as Air Force Gen. Douglas Fraser was sworn in as chief.

Gen. Moises Omar Halleslevens Acevedo, head of Nicaragua's military, said he flew to Miami to honor the friendship he had forged with outgoing Adm. James Stavridis, who on Thursday handed over to Fraser responsibility for the U.S. military relationship with Latin America and the Caribbean.

''We have a good relationship with Admiral Stavridis,'' Acevedo said. ``We expect to continue that with Gen. Fraser.''

Acevedo's presence at the change-of-command ceremony is indicative of the new role that the U.S. military increasingly has played in the region since the end of the Cold War. Stavridis has worked hard over almost three years to forge military friendships that -- in most cases -- survive political disagreements between Washington and the region.

Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, who attended the formal ceremony at Southcom headquarters in Doral, praised Stavridis for helping to transform the relationship between the U.S. military and its counterparts in the hemisphere, calling it the best use of ``smart power.''

PROGRESS IN REGION

He ticked off a long list of projects that reflect the new linkage, including the 2007 deployment of the USNS Comfort, which provided critical medical assistance to almost 400,000 people, the growth of PANAMAX exercises supporting Panama Canal security to include a record 20 countries, and humanitarian aid after devastating floods and hurricanes.

''As we can see, Jim's initiatives went beyond the usual bureaucratic routine. There were movie showings, where staff were treated to films about everything from Che Guevara to the slums of Rio,'' Gates said. ``All for the very serious, and very necessary, purpose of seeing that the men and women of Southcom understand the people of the Americas -- their history and culture, their grievances, as well as their aspirations.''

But regional military leaders, who said they hope that Gen. Fraser continues Stavridis' work, indicated that there are opportunities for the new commander to seize.

''The focus now has to be on people,'' said Adm. Guillermo Barrera, commander of Colombia's navy. ``Freedom and opportunities for the people are more important now than anything else.''

Colombia has one of the closest relationships with the U.S. military of any country in Latin America. Last year, Southcom worked with the Colombian military to help rescue former presidential candidate Ingrid Betancourt, three U.S. defense contractors and 15 other hostages who were being held by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC.

Stavridis, who is assuming the position of supreme allied commander in Europe, had said that securing the defense contractors' release was among his highest priorities at Southcom.

Barrera said Stavridis was popular in the region because he devoted the time to learn about its culture and people. At the ceremony, Stavridis alternated between English and Spanish and talked about his readings of Gabriel García Márquez and other Latin American authors.

''He really invested and understood the problems in Latin America,'' Barrera said. ``That has to be his [Gen. Fraser's] main obligation -- to understand and build on that relationship with countries in the region.''