Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro proposed Wednesday that drug traffickers handed over to the country’s justice system should not be extradited to the United States and should be given “legal privileges.”
“Drug traffickers who negotiate with the Colombian state (…) will not be extradited,” Petro said during a press conference.
Instead, “drug traffickers who do not negotiate with the state will be extradited. Those who negotiate with the state but relapse will be extradited without any negotiation with the US,” warned Colombia’s president, who was elected in June and took office on 7 August.
Petro indicated that he will discuss this new policy with Washington.
The first left-wing president in Colombia’s history, who made the remarks alongside Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez who is touring Latin America, offered “legal privileges” to members of the most powerful Clan de Golfo cartel in exchange for their surrender .
Petro did not specify what those privileges would be, but assured that he had received “messages” from the Clan de Golfo and other armed groups “asking for peace” with them, as well as “another way out” of the conflict.
“So far we have received messages, (drug traffickers) must take action. If they want peace, they must stop killing,” the Colombian president underlined.
As part of his “complete pacification” policy, the new president denounced the “failure” of the fight against drugs and proposed a new approach to the problem, which will be based on preventing drug use in developed countries.
After four decades of a Washington-backed war on drugs, Colombia remains the world’s largest producer of cocaine, with the US the main market.
In addition to negotiations with the drug cartels, Petro wants to restart peace talks with the National Liberation Army (ELN) rebels.
SOURCE: AMPE
Source: Capital
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