Ambassador Murillo Says US Doesn’t Have to Endorse Total Peace: ‘We Are Sovereign’

Colombia look for the “wink” of the administration Biden on very important national issues that have an international impact abroad, such as the total peacethe war on drug trafficking and extraditionbecause UNITED STATES It is a strategic ally of the national government in commercial and political matters.

The above is completely in mind Colombian Ambassador to Washington, Luis Gilberto Murillowho sought to create the best relations with UNITED STATES since he knows that the approval of the United States gives stability to the decisions that are made from Narino Palace.

In an interview with Colombian, Luis Gilberto Murillo repeated that although The United States supports the Total Peace Project of President Gustavo Petrobut what Colombia does not need your support, since it is a sovereign country.

“There is an ad hoc technical consultation table (between the two nations) to examine cases that may be sensitive in terms of extradition, within the framework of the Total Peace policy and the entire submission bloc. So there is a mechanism for dialogue, coordination, where the two governments are consulted, but it does not mean that there are approvals, because they are sovereign countries», underlined the Ambassador Murillo to The Colombian.

The ambassador says that the relationship with UNITED STATES It’s so good that there is constant communication and coordination on issues such as the war on drugs (busting up criminal gangs), extradition and, of course, the Total peace.

“The United States government supports the policy of total peace and is very much awaiting implementation details. In conversations that I had this article of submission to justice which went very well, the relationship is in a very good moment, there is a lot of closeness between governments,” the senior Colombian official said.

Undoubtedly, one of the elements of the war on drug trafficking that has always concerned the United States is the eradication of coca leaf crops, which is why this media asked the ambassador about How did we understand in the United States that Colombia had not carried out eradication operations in January? Murillo underlined in this regard that the national government is committed against drugs, butor are the subject of a drug policy review, Therefore, an agreement was reached with the United States to “apply a holistic method”.

“The fact that eradication levels decreased in January had more to do with a budget operating problem only with a political conception,” the Colombian ambassador to the United States, Luis Gilberto Murillo, told The Colombian.

The almost non-existent number of crops eliminated in January is concerning, as it is said that it could strengthen cartels and drug trafficking organizations, something Murillo disagrees with.

“Never. Voluntary crop substitution is enforced and arrests and extraditions have been made, Some extraditions were even politically visible and, despite this, the president carried them out. Here in the United States, it is understood that there is a frontal fight against drug trafficking and that we are fighting it together,” the ambassador told this media.

Another important item on the agenda of UNITED STATES with Colombia concerns relations with Nicolás Maduro and Venezuela. Murillo says the administration Joseph (Joe) Biden He sees with a “good eye” the intention of the Colombian government to restore diplomatic channels with this country to help Venezuelans and improve trade between the two countries.

“The United States views very favorably the dialogues that are taking place between the government of Venezuela and the opposition united in the united platform. Colombia also welcomes these dialogues, because Venezuela needs a negotiated and political solution to the democratic conflict. Colombia has a policy of normalizing relations, it is a process that is going well and in which Colombia has played a very constructive role in reaching a solution,” Murillo said in The Colombian.