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Colombia's Petro Rejects Trump, U.S. Officials Remarks
(MENAFN) Colombian President Gustavo Petro delivered a forceful rebuke Monday to US President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, asserting his constitutional powers, championing his administration's drug war record, and issuing stark warnings against external meddling in Colombian sovereignty.
"As for Mr. Rubio, who separates authorities from the president and claims that the president does not want to cooperate while the authorities do, I ask that he read the Constitution of Colombia, because his information is completely erroneous," Petro stated via X, the social media platform owned by a US company.
His response followed Washington's Saturday pre-dawn assault on Venezuela, which resulted in the capture of that nation's president and first lady, who were subsequently transported to New York.
Petro contended that such rhetoric stems from Colombian political factions connected to criminal syndicates seeking to undermine Bogotá's relationship with Washington.
"They want a rupture in relations between the United States and Colombia so that cocaine trafficking explodes worldwide," he said.
Petro revealed he had dismissed multiple police intelligence colonels for allegedly supplying fabricated intelligence targeting the state, cautioning against dependence on what he termed "fallacies."
Asserting his constitutional mandate, Petro emphasized that Colombia's president holds supreme command over military and law enforcement agencies under the 1991 Constitution, created following the M-19 movement—which he belonged to—disarmed and joined a democratically chosen Constituent Assembly.
He spotlighted his government's counter-narcotics achievements, claiming it secured history's largest cocaine confiscation, stopped coca plantation growth, and initiated a voluntary crop replacement initiative spanning 30,000 hectares, which he identified as a premier policy objective under his direct supervision.
Petro said security personnel had retaken Plateado in the Cauca department—a zone he branded "the Wall Street of cocaine"—and executed military campaigns adhering to international humanitarian law, leading to the apprehension and elimination of top commanders from armed organizations connected to narcotics smuggling.
He charged these organizations with conscripting children to prevent aerial bombardment.
"If you bomb even one of these groups without sufficient intelligence, you will kill many children," he warned. "If you bomb peasants, thousands of guerrillas will rise in the mountains."
'Colombia free forever'
Petro also issued a warning against any effort to arrest him. "And if you detain the president—whom a large part of my people loves and respects—you will unleash the popular jaguar," he said.
"Any commander of the public force who prefers the US flag over the Colombian flag will be immediately removed from the institution," he said, referencing constitutional duties to protect popular sovereignty.
Despite lacking professional military credentials, Petro said combat experience informed his perspective and reaffirmed his dedication to peace, while pledging to protect the nation if required.
"I swore never to touch a weapon again after the 1989 peace pact, but for the homeland I will take up arms again—arms I do not want," he said.
Petro dismissed accusations challenging his legitimacy or character, declaring his financial records were open and consisted solely of his presidential compensation. "I am not illegitimate, nor am I a narco," he said.
He closed by calling on Colombians to safeguard democratic structures against what he characterized as unlawful aggression and expressed trust in the populace, military forces, and Colombia's legacy.
"So know that you are facing a commander of the people," Petro said. "Colombia free forever."
"As for Mr. Rubio, who separates authorities from the president and claims that the president does not want to cooperate while the authorities do, I ask that he read the Constitution of Colombia, because his information is completely erroneous," Petro stated via X, the social media platform owned by a US company.
His response followed Washington's Saturday pre-dawn assault on Venezuela, which resulted in the capture of that nation's president and first lady, who were subsequently transported to New York.
Petro contended that such rhetoric stems from Colombian political factions connected to criminal syndicates seeking to undermine Bogotá's relationship with Washington.
"They want a rupture in relations between the United States and Colombia so that cocaine trafficking explodes worldwide," he said.
Petro revealed he had dismissed multiple police intelligence colonels for allegedly supplying fabricated intelligence targeting the state, cautioning against dependence on what he termed "fallacies."
Asserting his constitutional mandate, Petro emphasized that Colombia's president holds supreme command over military and law enforcement agencies under the 1991 Constitution, created following the M-19 movement—which he belonged to—disarmed and joined a democratically chosen Constituent Assembly.
He spotlighted his government's counter-narcotics achievements, claiming it secured history's largest cocaine confiscation, stopped coca plantation growth, and initiated a voluntary crop replacement initiative spanning 30,000 hectares, which he identified as a premier policy objective under his direct supervision.
Petro said security personnel had retaken Plateado in the Cauca department—a zone he branded "the Wall Street of cocaine"—and executed military campaigns adhering to international humanitarian law, leading to the apprehension and elimination of top commanders from armed organizations connected to narcotics smuggling.
He charged these organizations with conscripting children to prevent aerial bombardment.
"If you bomb even one of these groups without sufficient intelligence, you will kill many children," he warned. "If you bomb peasants, thousands of guerrillas will rise in the mountains."
'Colombia free forever'
Petro also issued a warning against any effort to arrest him. "And if you detain the president—whom a large part of my people loves and respects—you will unleash the popular jaguar," he said.
"Any commander of the public force who prefers the US flag over the Colombian flag will be immediately removed from the institution," he said, referencing constitutional duties to protect popular sovereignty.
Despite lacking professional military credentials, Petro said combat experience informed his perspective and reaffirmed his dedication to peace, while pledging to protect the nation if required.
"I swore never to touch a weapon again after the 1989 peace pact, but for the homeland I will take up arms again—arms I do not want," he said.
Petro dismissed accusations challenging his legitimacy or character, declaring his financial records were open and consisted solely of his presidential compensation. "I am not illegitimate, nor am I a narco," he said.
He closed by calling on Colombians to safeguard democratic structures against what he characterized as unlawful aggression and expressed trust in the populace, military forces, and Colombia's legacy.
"So know that you are facing a commander of the people," Petro said. "Colombia free forever."
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