Government of the United States has little confidence in the plan to eradicate Petro’s illicit crops in Colombia | news today

In the village of 20 de Julio, in Tibú (Norte de Santander), where eradication work has been carried out. / Peasant Association of Catatumbo (Ascamcat)

The policy of eradicating illicit crops carried out by the government of Gustavo Petro was questioned by US State Department officials during a session of the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee that was originally intended to discuss Brazil.

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Brian Nichols, the State Department’s undersecretary for Western Hemisphere affairs, was questioned by James Risch, a Republican party heavyweight on the committee, about the reasons for the suspension of coca leaf eradication efforts in the country.

“Petro has said that he wants to re-evaluate the anti-narcotics policies of previous administrations and as part of that re-evaluation he wanted to have a purely manual eradication program,” the official began, who assured that the talks would continue.

“We believe that it is very difficult to succeed if there is no pressure on crops, especially before a voluntary eradication program is in place,” the official concluded, revealing the Biden administration’s doubts about the way this issue is handled. In colombia.

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Disappointment with Brazil due to the arrival of Iranian ships

Furthermore, according to Nichols, the US is “shocked” and “disappointed” by the permission granted by the Brazilian government for the docking of two Iranian warships.

“We have conveyed our dismay (…) emphasizing the Iranian regime’s brutal repression against its own people, the supply of weapons to Russia and destabilization” in the world, he said. nichols during the same hearing.

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“Makran” and “Dena”, two Iranian ships under US Treasury Department sanctions, obtained authorization to dock in Rio de Janeiro from February 28 to March 4.

A decision that worries senators, such as Risch, who considers it sufficient reason for US President Joe Biden to have canceled his meeting with his counterpart Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva on February 10 at the White House.

“We understand that our countries will not always agree and Brazil as a sovereign nation makes its own foreign policy decisions,” he said. nicholsbut these ships “have no place in our hemisphere.”

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