The new Colombian president-elect, Gustavo Petro, proposed on Sunday to end the system of extradition to the United States of people who would submit to the demands of justice in their country.
In an
interview
with the Cambio site, the first left-wing man to come to power in Colombia suggested "
conditioning extradition on non-compliance
" with "
processes for the peaceful dismantling of drug trafficking
".
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This measure would depend “
on a negotiation with the United States, and perhaps they do not want it.
Or that if
, “added the senator and former guerrilla elected on June 19 with more than 50% of the vote.
Extradition "
is a bilateral treaty and therefore there are two of us, as in any marriage
", underlined the 62-year-old leader, who will take over the reins of the main ally country of the United States in the region on August 7.
The two countries have been collaborating for almost half a century in the fight against drug trafficking, of which Mr. Petro is a fierce critic.
A “more equal” relationship
Two days after his election, Gustavo Petro spoke by telephone with US President Joe Biden, who pledged, he said, to "
a more equal relationship
".
Mr Biden said he hoped to “
continue to strengthen bilateral cooperation
”.
As part of his ambitious program to transform a country marked by deep social divisions and violence, Gustavo Petro had announced during his campaign a "
policy of collective submission
" to justice for drug traffickers, without giving further details. .
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Extradition has long been one of the main tools used to punish cocaine kingpins such as Otoniel, the former leader of Colombia's biggest drug cartel, who was handed over to the United States in May.
Colombia remains the world's largest producer of cocaine and the United States the main consumer of this drug.