Guatemalan President Alejandro Giammattei He spoke about the tension with President Gustavo Petro over the investigation against the Defense Minister, Ivan Velasquez, and He referred to his statements in which he described the Colombian president as a “guerrilla.”
Since the Central American country warned that it intends to prosecute Velásquez for alleged illegal actions at the head of the International Commission Against Impunity in Guatemala (Cicig) between 2013 and 2017, the leaders of both nations have staged a strong discussion.
In response, Petro called his ambassador in Guatemala for consultations and hours later, Giammattei also called the Guatemalan ambassador in Colombia, Reagan Vega, for consultations.
The tension has been maintained; while Gustavo Petro insists on defending his Defense Minister, Guatemala continues with the investigation; However, among the discomfort, many words have been said, including the offense that Giammattei launched when he said that Petro would be making the mistake of a guerrilla.
(Keep reading: Colombia-Guatemala Crisis: How Far Can It Go?)
I am going to let President Petro continue to make the mistake of a guerrilla, but it is not very political.
“I am going to let President Petro continue making the mistake of a guerrilla, but that is not very political. I am not going to fall for the game. Differences between nations must be resolved through diplomatic channels to prevent conflicts from escalating later to places where it is already difficult to leave,” Giammattei said in an interview with EFE in Madrid.
Given the statements by the president of Guatemala, the questions that began to arise were almost immediate.
(You can read: Alejandro Giammattei: the harsh accusations against the president of Guatemala).
What I told him is what he previously did. I am a politician and I totally understand politics, maybe he doesn’t because of his previous occupations
This January 20, Giammattei gave an interview to ‘W Radio’, in which he spoke about the investigation and referred to his statements in which he described President Gustavo Petro as a “guerrilla”.
“No, I didn’t tell him. What I told him is what he previously did. I am a politician and I totally understand politics, maybe he does not because of his previous occupations, ”he said.
The president did not want to continue giving an explanation on the matter, he even let the journalists know that if the interview was going to be about that topic, he would retire.
And I add: “It is not me and I clarified that it is not me, nor the one behind the investigation, nor he who is leading the investigation. And if in another country, the way of acting is different, if a president can get whoever he wants out of jail, put whoever he wants into jail. In Guatemala you can’t.”
In addition, he concluded: “In my case, I am not respectful of what my Constitution requires of me and what my Constitution demands of me.”
(Also: How much does Colombia lose if trade relations with Guatemala are broken?).
Finally, they asked him about the anti-corruption prosecutor for the Colombian minister’s case. Nevertheless, The president did not let the question finish and pointed out that this topic was not going to touch him anymore.
“I told him that I was not going to touch that topic anymore. I ask you to respect what we are left with. We had already left that topic. If you have any questions, call the Prosecutor’s Office. It is not my responsibility. Thank you very much, the interview is over”, concluded Giammattei.
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GERALDINE BAJONERO VASQUEZ
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