President of Guatemala Denies Agreement with US on Anti-Drug Trafficking Strikes
Kyiv • UNN
Bernardo Arévalo refuted reports of a new agreement with the US regarding strikes against drug trafficking. The deployment of foreign troops requires authorization from the country's Congress.
Guatemalan President Bernardo Arévalo has denied reports of an alleged agreement with the US to conduct anti-drug operations within the country. This was reported by the Associated Press, according to UNN.
Details
Arévalo's statement followed a publication by The New York Times, which claimed that Guatemala had agreed to joint strikes with the United States. The President emphasized that there are no new agreements.
"There is no agreement. There is a request that fits within the framework of existing agreements in several countries,"
According to him, Guatemala is merely continuing cooperation that already existed, particularly in the areas of maritime interception and the fight against drug trafficking.
"We conduct maritime interceptions where the United States has cooperated with training, capacity building, and equipment,"
Arévalo also stressed that any operations involving foreign military personnel on Guatemalan territory can only be authorized by Congress.
"The only body that can authorize operations involving soldiers on Guatemalan territory is the Congress of the Republic. The Government of Guatemala is not requesting such cooperation and has no plans to do so,"