The President of Colombia, Gustavo Petro, presented directly to President Joe Biden his proposal to eliminate US sanctions against Venezuela during the bilateral meeting that took place in the Oval Office of the White House on Thursday afternoon.
At the end of the meeting, Petro assured the press that he put on the table his wish that the talks planned for April 25, when an international summit between the Venezuelan government and the opposition, “gravitate” around “progressively promoting the Venezuelan electoral schedule with guarantees, the entry of Venezuela into the Inter-American Human Rights System, and a progressive and gradual deactivation of sanctions.”
Petro’s proposal contemplates taking one of two paths: elections are held in Venezuela and then there is a lifting of sanctions, or as an electoral agenda is fulfilled, they are lifted.
“I am not a mediator, we simply promoted a space that was being affected in Mexico City and to unlock it, we offered the space in Bogotá at an international conference,” Petro said, referring to to the process initiated in Mexico and from which Nicolás Maduro rose in October 2021
In an exchange prior to the meeting, Biden stressed to the media that he has “long believed that Colombia is a cornerstone for the hemisphere, and I believe that we have an opportunity if we work together to have a Western Hemisphere that is united, equitable and democratic and economically prosperous.
“Colombia and the US have joined efforts to combat climate change,” Biden stressed.
Petro later confirmed that the US committed $500 million to an Amazon revitalization fund to preserve the area.
The US president called for the US and Colombia to work together to counter drug traffickinga subject of controversy between the two countries due to the criticism that Petro has launched against the so-called “war on drugs” of the US government, which, he assures, “has failed.”
At the end of the meeting, the Colombian president assured that “the construction of a much more effective anti-drug policy” was discussed.
Among Petro’s requests was assistance in the acquisition of boats, boats and drones to expand intelligence work against drug trafficking; as well as the support in the construction of an agrarian reform in Colombia that -according to Petro- offers guarantees to the peasantry to “produce anything other than coca leaf”.
Migration, especially through the dangerous jungle of the Darien which Colombia shares with Panama, was also on the meeting’s agenda. However, Petro pointed out that they only spoke “relatively” about the subject. “I think there is awareness that if the economic and social conditions in the countries of origin do not improve, then it is useless to criminalize immigrants in the countries of destination,” said the Colombian president.
“Mr. President, I want to thank you for the hospitality and support that Colombia continues to show Venezuelan refugees, what they are doing is a humanitarian and generous thing,” said Biden, in relation to the nearly 2.5 million Venezuelan migrants that Colombia has received in its territory.
The US head of state assured that he is working with regional partners “to help Colombia in this challenge.”
Petro, for his part, focused his previous message on mentioning the importance of the concepts of democracy and freedom in America. Assuring that one of the common elements on the continent is that “almost never have there been wars between nations and between peoples.” “We are well accustomed to peace and not to war. Therefore, democracy, freedom and peace constitute the common agenda”, he said.
The Colombian president reiterated his call to transform the economies of the hemisphere to ones without fossil capital as a “common destiny,” since “perhaps humanity has the greatest potential for democracy and freedom in the Americas and has the greatest potential for clean energy.”
Petro added that he discussed with his counterpart the construction of an alliance for progress to, “based on the great clean energy potential of Latin America, build an energetic transmission network on an American scale.”
Biden opened the meeting by welcoming Petro and wishing him a happy birthday. The Colombian president celebrated his 63rd birthday on Wednesday. Following the opening remarks, the press was escorted out of the Oval Office to make way for the closed-door meeting.
Colombia, a “key partner”
John Kirby, spokesman for the White House National Security Council, assured prior to the start of the meeting that Biden considers Colombia a “key partner” in the region on issues of drug trafficking, migration and climate.
“Regarding what he calls the War on Drugs, the efforts to go after drug trafficking, both President Petro and President Biden agree that it is a problem, they agree that it is a challenge,” Kirby added. .
Petro, for his part, had told the press that this would be a “meeting of two people who are very different”, but who find a common international agenda on issues such as climate change.
On his arrival at the White House, around 2:30 in the afternoon, Petro got out of the vehicle that was transporting him and stopped to greet the reporters. The president’s motorcade passed a group of Colombians who were demonstrating to ask President Biden to approve immigration relief for more than 200,000 undocumented Colombians in the US known as Deferred Forced Departure or DED.
Isaias Guerrero, coordinator of the Movimento Colombia outside of Colombia, told the Voice of America that President Petro’s visit to the US is “timely” and stressed that the DED would allow them to work legally in the country.
The first bilateral meeting between the two presidents takes place eight months after Petro assumed the presidency in Colombia. The president arrived in the US on Sunday night, and has participated in multiple meetings in New York, California and Washington.
On Wednesday, Petro went to the headquarters of the Organization of American States (OAS) to offer a speech in which he urged member states to “remake” the International Democratic Charter. The Colombian president considered that the OAS has remained “shy” when it comes to promoting a “democratic project” that guarantees the establishment of rights in the region.
(With the collaboration of Tomás Guevara, VOA journalist, from Washington)
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