Presidents Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva of Brazil and Michelle Bachelet of Chile said in Sao Paulo they would put the issue before an August 10 meeting of a nascent South American Defense Council in Ecuador.

Spain's foreign minister, Miguel Angel Moratinos, and his Brazilian counterpart, Celso Amorim, simultaneously told reporters in Brasilia that they would demand explanations from Washington over the bases.

The Colombian government's announcement July 15 that three of its military air bases were to be used by the United States as part of joint anti-drug operations has ignited concerns and anger among Colombia's neighbors.

Venezuela and its ally Ecuador have warned the move could aggravate already deep tensions with Colombia.

The two almost went to war last year against Colombia over a raid its army made into Ecuador to destroy a Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) rebel camp.

Venezuelan's fiercely anti-US president, Hugo Chavez, said he viewed the bases as a sign a "Yankee military force" was preparing to invade his country from Colombia.

Chavez this week signed deals with Russia reinforcing military ties that have already seen him acquire new tanks, combat helicopters and fighter jets.

He also on Tuesday froze diplomatic links to Colombia over allegations from Bogota that weapons Venezuela bought from Sweden in the 1980s ended up in the hands of the FARC.

Ecuador has cut off links to Colombia since its March 2008 cross-border raid.

In Brasilia, Moratinos said: "We are going to be in contact with Colombia and the United States so they can explain, tell us the reasons for this opening of the bases."

He said that while the use of the bases was a bilateral issue between the United States and Colombia, he hoped the deal "will not create more tensions and, above all, avoid a militarization of Latin America."

Brazil's Lula told a media conference in Sao Paulo that "I'm not happy with the idea of another US base in Colombia," he said, but added that he was not going to criticize Colombian President Alvaro Uribe over the matter.

He said the South American Defense Council could be asked to look at the broader issue of border sovereignty in light of the US base announcement.

Bachelet said she, too, respected Colombia's sovereign decisions but noted that "there are countries that are unsettled by this situation."

A broader Union of South American nations gathering in Ecuador which is to include the defense council meeting "will be an opportune time to see... how to come up with a solution permitting all countries to calmly accept this type of decision," she said.

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