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Álvaro Uribe and Gustavo Petro sit at the same table

2022-06-29T18:10:06.554Z


The meeting between the former president and the elected president advances without, for the moment, knowing many details


Gustavo Petro wanted to go away for a few days off with his work ahead of schedule.

Before taking a plane to Spain, the elected president met this Wednesday with former President Álvaro Uribe.

The appointment was publicly confirmed last Friday, when Uribe accepted Petro's invitation, which seeks a national dialogue that includes the Democratic Center, the former president's party.

Less than a week later they were both sitting at the same table.

Uribe, who is not used to leaving his hacienda El Ubérrimo for almost any meeting, traveled to Bogotá to meet the leader of the Historical Pact.

The meeting began around 11:00 in the office of Gustavo Petro's lawyer, Héctor Carvajal.

The former president and Petro were alone for about 30 minutes.

Later they were joined by Alfonso Prada, head of debate for Petro's presidential campaign.

Next to Uribe, Senator Ciro Ramírez, Alirio Barrera, Nubia Stella Martínez and Representative Juan Fernando Espinal.

All from the Democratic Center, his political party.

The meeting advances during the noon of this Wednesday and it is expected that in the afternoon former President Uribe will offer some statements about the meeting.

The photo of both, shared by their press teams, is historic on its own.

Uribe, located at the ideological antipodes of Petro, with whom he has always clashed, last year tried to forge an "anti-Petro" alliance, which he called "Beware of 22", alluding to this year's elections.

Today, without knowing the details of the meeting, the days when a meeting between the two seemed impossible seem distant.

Petro took the first step towards rapprochement.

Even before the second round, as this newspaper learned.

15 days before, she was looking for a meeting with Uribe, who set conditions and was resistant due to the discomfort that it could cause in his community, which is not going through his best moment.

The Democratic Center did not have a candidate for the presidency and the two options they clung to were burned.

Neither Fico Gutiérrez nor Rodolfo Hernández could give continuity to Uribism in power.

The unpopular government of Iván Duque has caused division in the bowels of the Democratic Center.

Relevant figures such as María Fernanda Cabal have harshly questioned the acting president and have not been very enthusiastic about the meeting between Petro and his mentor.

"Poor Colombia with a leftist government," said Cabal,

Petro said, upon receiving his presidential credentials, that he was looking for Uribe as a sign of his genuine interest in achieving a national conversation.

“The fundamental task today is the great national agreement.

Symbolically, I have invited Rodolfo Hernández, my opponent, and Álvaro Uribe Vélez, whom I have opposed throughout this century, so that we can talk about country issues”, he said a few days ago.

Today, after the meeting, he will not speak.

What is officially told of that meeting will remain in the voice of former President Uribe, who after a campaign in silence, has reappeared.

[News in development]

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Source: elparis

All news articles on 2022-06-29

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