Colombia says Trump praised Petro during phone call

According to the note, Petro and Trump spoke about Colombia’s fulfillment of commitments related to the voluntary eradication of coca crops and about the government transition in the South American country – Abelardo de la Espriella, who won the presidential election against Petro’s candidate, senator Iván Cepeda, will take office in August.

In October last year, the US Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) imposed economic sanctions on the Colombian president, his wife, Veronica del Socorro Alcocer Garcia, his eldest son, and Armando Benedetti, the interior minister, alleging that Bogotá allowed drug cartels to “flourish” and “refused to stop their activities.”

This Friday, according to a note from the Colombian government, Petro “cordially asked President Trump to support his removal from the OFAC list.”

“In response, the US President indicated that he ‘will do everything possible’ to make this happen. He also committed to talking with the incoming administration to promote political understanding between the government and the opposition in Colombia,” added the statement, which also noted that at the end of the call, Trump told Petro: “After I met you, I realized that you are a good man.”

Trump and the White House have not yet commented on the call, which occurred at a time of renewed tensions between the two presidents.

After Petro’s inclusion on the OFAC list, another reason for disagreement between the two presidents was the Colombian’s criticism of the American operation in which the then Venezuelan dictator, Nicolás Maduro, was captured in January.

Trump even suggested that a similar action could be carried out in Colombia, but after he met with Petro at the White House in February, the two presidents announced cooperation in the fight against drug trafficking and tensions between the two governments apparently calmed down.

However, The New York Times reported in March that Petro became the target of two investigations in the US for alleged involvement with drug traffickers in his country. Furthermore, Trump expressed support for Espriella in the Colombian election, which led Petro to accuse him of “interference”.