Colombia's Constitutional Court ruled that the agreement granting the US military forces additional access to Colombian military bases is unconstitutional, arguing that the accord has not been passed by the Congress. The agreement, which was signed between former Colombian President Alvaro Uribe's administration and the US government in 2009, allows 1,400 US military personnel and contractors to use seven Colombian military bases for fighting narco-trafficking and terrorism. The 6-3 vote overruling the agreement tends to weaken the ties between the two signatory countries, but may improve Colombia's relations with Venezuela, which strongly opposed the Colombian-US bases accord. It is necessary to remember that Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has accused Colombia of trying to affect the balance of forces on South American subcontinent, and lending support to the American imperialism.
