USA argues that the relationship Colombia on extraditions “has not changed”, despite the fact that the Colombian president, Gustavo Petro, announced that his government will stop shipments to US territory of those alleged drug traffickers who decide to collaborate with the Colombian Justice.
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“There is no agreement or specific announcement of change. We maintain that this relationship is the way we have at the bilateral level to render accounts to organized crime groups,” the State Department spokeswoman told EFE. Cristina Rosales, during the General Assembly of the Organization of American States (OAS).
Rosales added that this mechanism serves to do justice to the victims and insisted: “for now, that level of relationship on sanctions and extraditions has not changed.”
This was one of the issues that was addressed in this week’s meeting between Petro and the secretary of State of the United States, Antony Blinken, who is touring
Colombia, Chile and Peru.
In that meeting, the Colombian president asked the United States to launch a temporary protection status to welcome Colombian migrants, similar to the one that Colombia has for Venezuelans.
In this regard, the spokeswoman for the State Department said that there have been “several discussions”, but that at the moment Washington only recognizes that status for Venezuelans and that “when there is a specific change, it will be announced.”
Cooperation on drug trafficking
Where there were coincidences was in the new approach that Petro proposes to combat drug trafficking and that is based on giving farmers opportunities to substitute crops and put an end to the mechanisms for eradicating plantations that are harmful to the environment. Rosales said that the United States has a “commitment to Colombia to deal with the issue holistically” or comprehensively.
“We must address different points, not a single issue. We must address security, social development, justice and the demand (for drugs). There are several issues that we are working on holistically with Colombia,” he asserted.
In other matters, the spokeswoman denied that Blinken’s visit to Colombia, Chile and Peru is related to the turn to the left of their governments.
He assured that the United States does not relate to countries based on whether they have “a leftist or rightist vision”and explained that with these three nations it shares a common agenda on democracy, human rights and migration, in addition to celebrating 200 years of diplomatic relations.
The migration crisis
The regional migration crisis is one of the great concerns of the United States and an issue that Blinken discussed with the governments of Colombia, Chile and Peru, as well as in the General Assembly of the Organization of American States (OAS), which is being held in Lime.
Blinken announced on Monday that Washington will invest an additional 240 million dollars, so that the countries of the region welcome the migrants who pass through their territory, in addition to reinforcing their borders.
Rosales explained that the objective is to give “refuge to different groups in an orderly, safe and legal way.”
In addition, he admitted that the United States also has its “responsibility” in this matter, which is why they are “improving” the “asylum and refugee process so that people have a way to migrate that is legal.”
EFE
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