BOGOTA, (Reuters) – Colombian President Juan Manuel  Santos said yesterday that a Constitutional Court suspension  of a military pact with the United States would not affect  anti-drug or counterinsurgency assistance in the country.  

Colombia’s Constitutional Court suspended a deal on Tuesday  giving U.S. troops more access to Colombian bases, sending the  agreement back to Santos to seek congressional approval.    

“What’s important is the cooperation is going to continue.  The fight against drug runners, the fight against terrorism  does not let up,” Santos told reporters. “And this decision by  the court is not going to affect what we’ve been receiving from  the United States.” 
 
Santos, who took over the presidency on Aug. 7, said the  government would evaluate whether to take the deal to Congress,  where he has solid support.  
Former President Alvaro Uribe opted not to send the pact to  lawmakers. 

Bogota and Washington signed the security cooperation  agreement last October, giving U.S. troops more access to seven  Colombian bases and consolidating Washington’s presence in the  Andean nation. The deal was harshly criticized by Colombia’s  leftist neighbors, Venezuela and Ecuador.