(Bogota) The new Colombian president-elect, Gustavo Petro, proposed on Sunday to put an end to the system of extradition to the United States of people who would submit to the demands of justice in their country.
Posted at 3:03 p.m.
In an interview with the Cambio website, the first leftist to come to power in Colombia suggested “linking extradition to non-compliance” with “processes for the peaceful dismantling of drug trafficking”.
This measure would depend on “a negotiation with the United States and maybe they don’t want it. Or that if, “added the senator and former guerrilla elected on June 19 with more than 50% of the vote.
Extradition “is a bilateral treaty and therefore there are two of us, as in any marriage”, underlined the 62-year-old leader, who will take over the reins of the main ally country of the United States in the region on August 7.
Bogota and Washington have been collaborating for nearly half a century in the fight against drug trafficking, of which Mr. Petro is a fierce critic.
Two days after his election, Mr Petro spoke on the phone with Joe Biden, who was committed, he said, to “a more equal relationship”. The US president said he hoped to “continue to strengthen bilateral cooperation”.
As part of his ambitious program to transform a country marked by deep social fractures and violence, Mr. Petro had announced during his campaign a “policy of collective submission” to justice for drug traffickers, without giving more ample details.
Extradition has long been one of the main tools used to punish cocaine kingpins such as Otoniel, the former leader of Colombia’s biggest drug cartel, who was handed over to the United States in May.
Colombia remains the world’s largest producer of cocaine and the United States the main consumer of this drug.
Although Gustavo Petro will not officially take office until August 7, the transfer of power has already begun. He met the outgoing Conservative President Ivan Duque on Thursday and set about forming his future government.
On Saturday, he announced the name of his future Minister of Foreign Affairs, Alvaro Leyva Duran, a veteran of Colombian politics, rather considered conservative, but who has been involved in several negotiations with armed groups, in particular the guerrillas of extreme left of the M-19, the Guevarist ELN and the Marxist FARC. “He will be a minister of peace,” promised the future president on this occasion.
One of Mr. Petro’s closest aides, Senator Roy Barreras, has begun to form a majority in Congress, where the left-wing Historic Pact coalition will need the support of centrists and liberals to legislate.
As part of a “great national agreement” that he promises, Mr. Petro has also offered his worst political enemy, ex-president Alvaro Uribe, the tutelary figure of the Colombian right, to dialogue on the future of the country.
“Thank you for the invitation”, replied Mr. Uribe, “I will attend” this dialogue, the details of which are not yet known.