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Colombia pushes for talks – to include China – over US military build-up near Venezuela
Petro steps up rhetoric as biggest US aircraft carrier backs an anti-drug operation near Venezuela; the latest strikes face legal questions
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Igor Patrickin Washington
Colombian President Gustavo Petro called for a high-level security meeting with the United States, China and regional partners, arguing that recent US military deployments and strikes on suspected drug-smuggling boats in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific are escalating tensions in the region.
Joining other regional voices condemning the operations, he stressed that Latin America and the Caribbean should be treated with respect and repeated his proposal for talks in Pearl Harbour, noting that he raised the idea with Admiral John Aquilino, the former US Indo-Pacific commander who retired in July.
The unease extends beyond Colombia. Chilean President Gabriel Boric used a UN address last year to warn that instability in Venezuela was deepening regional pressures, urging Washington to lift sanctions rather than heighten its military posture.
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And in September, the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (Celac) issued an extraordinary statement expressing “deep concern” over expanded US activity in the Caribbean and the risk of intervention in Venezuela.
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Petro said he wants Mexico and Colombia to play central roles in any meeting and is asserting that Ecuador, Chile, China and Australia should now also be included.
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