Bogota, Feb, 8 -  Thousands of police, air and land troops have been deployed to guarantee the security of the 8th Summit of the Pacific Alliance, underway till Monday in the Colombian city of Cartagenas de Indias. This has been criticized by regional leaders.

According to Police general Rodrigo Gonzalez, security actions include riot police, special operation commandos, emergency forces and 25 security cameras monitoring the facilities at the Conventons Center where the forum is taking place.

On Saturday, high-level officials will prepare the agenda for the plenary session of the heads of state of Peru, Mexico, Chile and Colombia, who will be joined by Costa Rica's Laura Chinchilla.

The Summit is expected to add a protocol to the frame agreement of the alliance, which has reportedly raised suspicions in sectors of the civil society, the parliament and political parties. The bloc was promoted in Lima, Peru by then president Alan Garcia and officially launched in 2012 under Sebastian Piñera.

The bloc is being questioned by some leaders, such as Chile's Michelle Bachelet and Colombian senator Jorge Robledo, who said that the Pacific Alliance and everything that may stem from it will only be a blow against Colombian farmers, and will end up by bringing the agricutlure and the industry of that country down to ruin, increasing unemployment.