Trump invites Colombia’s Petro to White House after earlier threat of military action

BOGOTA – Days after threatening Colombia with military action, US President Donald Trump on Jan 7 said arrangements were being made for the country’s President Gustavo Petro to visit the White House, following a call between the two leaders. 

Mr Trump and Mr Petro said they discussed relations between the two countries in their first call since the US president on Jan 4 said that a US military operation focused on Colombia’s government “sounds good” to him. 

That threat followed Trump ordering the US capture of the president of neighbouring Venezuela
, who was flown to the US to face drug and weapons charges.

“It was a great honour to speak with the President of Colombia, Gustavo Petro, who called to explain the situation of drugs and other disagreements
that we have had. I appreciated his call and tone, and look forward to meeting him in the near future,” Mr Trump wrote on social media.

Mr Trump added “arrangements are being made” for a meeting in Washington between himself and Mr Petro, Colombia’s first leftist president, but gave no specific date for a meeting.

“We have spoken by phone for the first time since he became president,” Mr Petro told supporters gathered at a rally in Bogota meant to celebrate Colombia’s sovereignty, adding he had requested a restart of dialogue between the two countries.

A source in Mr Petro’s office told Reuters the call was “cordial” and “respectful”.

Relations between Mr Trump and Mr Petro have been frosty since the Republican returned to the White House.

Mr Trump has repeatedly accused the administration of Mr Petro, without evidence, of enabling a steady flow of cocaine into the US, and referred to Mr Petro as “a sick man”.

The US in September had revoked Mr Petro’s visa
after he joined a pro-Palestinian demonstration in New York following a meeting of the United Nations General Assembly and called on US soldiers to “disobey the orders of Trump.”

Mr Petro, who has been a vocal opponent of Israel’s war in Gaza, had accused Mr Trump of being “complicit in genocide” in Gaza and called for “criminal proceedings” over US missile attacks on suspected drug-running boats in Caribbean waters.

The Trump administration has carried out more than 30 strikes against suspected drug boats since September, in a campaign that has killed at least 110 people. REUTERS