Petro says Colombia cooperating with US ‘despite insults, threats’

EXCLUSIVE

Speaking to Al Jazeera, Gustavo Petro calls for ‘shared authorities done dialogue’ successful Venezuela, starring to elections.

Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro has stressed the value of having unfastened lines of connection with the United States contempt President Donald Trump’s caller threats of subject enactment against the South American country.

In an interrogation with Al Jazeera’s Teresa Bo successful Colombia’s capital, Bogota – which aired connected Friday – Petro said his authorities is seeking to support practice connected combating narcotics with Washington, striking a softer code pursuing days of escalating rhetoric.

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His comments came aft holding a phone telephone with Trump connected Wednesday, a nonstop interaction that Petro called a “means of connection that did not beryllium before”.

Petro, Colombia’s archetypal left-wing president, said that previously, accusation betwixt the 2 governments had been transmitted done unofficial channels “mediated by governmental ideology and my opposition”.

“I person been cautious – contempt the insults, the threats and truthful connected – to support practice connected cause trafficking betwixt Colombia and the United States,” Petro said.

US threats

Just hours aft the US subject abducted Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro connected Saturday, Trump turned his threats of subject enactment towards Colombia.

Trump accused Petro – without grounds – of moving cocaine mills, calling him a “sick man”.

Asked connected Sunday whether helium would authorise a subject cognition against Petro, Trump said, “Sounds bully to me.”

In response, Petro promised to defend his country, saying that helium would “take up arms” for his homeland.

While temperatures person cooled successful the aftermath of the telephone betwixt the 2 leaders connected Wednesday, observers person mostly seen Trump’s threats arsenic the imaginable adjacent measurement successful the White House’s stated goal of establishing US “pre-eminence” successful the Western Hemisphere.

But the feud betwixt the Trump medication and Petro pre-dated the onslaught connected Venezuela.

The Colombian president has been a vocal professional of Israel’s US-backed genocidal warfare connected Gaza.

In September, Washington revoked Petro’s US visa aft helium spoke astatine a pro-Palestine march extracurricular the United Nations General Assembly successful New York.

Weeks later, the Trump medication imposed sanctions connected the Colombian president, who is term-limited and acceptable to permission bureau aft a statesmanlike predetermination successful May.

Petro was among the archetypal satellite leaders to condemn the abduction of Maduro, calling the US raid an “attack connected the sovereignty of Venezuela and Latin America”.

In his interrogation with Al Jazeera, Petro warned that Venezuela, which borders his country, could autumn into unit successful the post-Maduro era. He said that “would beryllium a disaster”.

“To that extent, what I person projected is simply a shared authorities done dialog among each the governmental forces successful Venezuela and a bid of steps towards elections,” helium said.

Petro added that helium has spoken to Venezuela’s interim President Delcy Rodriguez, and helium sensed she is disquieted astir the aboriginal of the country.

“She’s besides facing attacks,” the Colombian president said. “Some impeach her of betrayal, and that is constructed arsenic a communicative that divides the forces that were portion of the Maduro government.”