Prosecutors in Colombia open a probe into an alleged plot to overthrow President Petro as ties sharply deteriorate.
The US and Colombia have known as residence their respective prime diplomats in an acceleration of worsening ties, in opposition to the backdrop of an alleged plot in opposition to Colombia’s left-wing chief.
Washington, DC went first, recalling its cost d’affaires John McNamara on Thursday, “following baseless and reprehensible statements from the very best ranges of the federal government of Colombia,” State Division spokesperson Tammy Bruce mentioned, with out giving specifics.
Along with McNamara’s recall, Bruce mentioned the US “is pursuing different measures to clarify our deep concern over the present state of our bilateral relationship”, with out additional particulars.
Inside hours, Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro introduced he was calling residence his prime diplomat in Washington, DC, in response.
Ambassador Daniel Garcia-Pena “should come to tell us of the event of the bilateral agenda,” Petro wrote on X, corresponding to tapping South America’s “nice potential for clear vitality” and the combat in opposition to “drug lords and their worldwide funds”.
The diplomatic row got here on the heels of the resignation of Colombia’s overseas minister earlier on Thursday – the most recent top-ranking official to exit Petro’s authorities.
“In latest days, choices have been made that I don’t agree with and that, out of non-public integrity and institutional respect, I can not assist,” Laura Sarabia, who was additionally Petro’s former chief of employees, wrote on X.
Deterioration of ties
Colombia was till lately one of many US’s closest companions in Latin America, with many years of right-wing rule, earlier than bilateral relations sharply deteriorated.
Prosecutors within the South American nation opened an investigation this week into an alleged plot to overthrow Petro with the assistance of Colombian and American politicians, following the publication by the Spanish each day El Pais of recordings implicating former Overseas Minister Alvaro Leyva.
“That is nothing greater than a conspiracy with drug traffickers and apparently, the Colombian and American excessive proper,” Petro mentioned on Monday.
Throughout a speech in Bogota on Thursday, Petro mentioned he didn’t assume US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, whom he had beforehand linked to the alleged overthrow try, was “within the midst of a coup d’etat” in opposition to his authorities.
“I don’t imagine {that a} authorities that has Iran as its enemy and nuclear weapons pointed at it … goes to start out playing around with a coup d’etat” in Colombia, he mentioned.
In late January, the US briefly suspended consular companies to retaliate for Petro’s refusal to permit US army planes to return Colombian refugees and migrants to their homeland.
Petro accused the US of treating them like criminals, inserting them in shackles and handcuffs.
The 2 nations issued threats and counter-threats of crippling commerce tariffs of as much as 50 p.c.
A backroom diplomatic deal involving the deployment of Colombian air drive planes to gather the refugees and migrants averted a looming commerce warfare on the eleventh hour.
Al Jazeera’s Alessandro Rampietti, reporting from Bogota, mentioned the primary disaster between the 2 nations over the deportation of migrants was resolved shortly in January.
“The present state of affairs is clearly very worrisome as it’s unclear what’s going to occur on this case,” he mentioned.
“But it surely reveals that ties that have been taken with no consideration would possibly now be unravelling,” Rampietti added.
Colombia’s left-wing authorities additionally lately refused a US request to extradite two distinguished insurgent leaders wished by Washington, DC, for alleged drug trafficking.
Final month, Colombia was rattled by bombing attacks in Cali within the southwest of the nation that killed seven folks, and the tried assassination of a conservative opposition senator and presidential hopeful, Miguel Uribe Turbay, at a marketing campaign rally in Bogota. The eruption of violence raised fears of a return to the darker days of earlier many years, of assassinations and bombings.
