United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio recalled his acting ambassador from Colombia after President Gustavo Petro sent a letter of reconciliation to his American counterpart Donald Trump.
In the letter, which was sent on June 23, Petro called on Trump to “make way for an honest and respectful conversation between our countries” amid suspicions that far-right lawmakers from both the US and Colombia have been conspiring to overthrow the Colombian president.
Ahead of sending the letter, Petro publicly accused Florida House Representatives Mario Diaz-Balart of plotting a coup d’état with former Foreign Minister Alvaro Leyva.
Newspaper El Pais last week published audio in which Leyva confirmed that he met with Diaz-Balart as part of his effort to seek international support for a coup d’état.
In the letter, Petro reiterated that he had no evidence to suggest that US Government officials were involved in the coup plot, as suggested by Rubio.
I should clarify that any expression of mine that may have been interpreted as a direct accusation of involvement in an alleged coup d’état in Colombia was not intended to point the finger at anyone personally or to question without foundation the role of the United States.
President Gustavo Petro
In a similar vein, the president rejected insinuations that his government was somehow to blame for the recent attempted assassination of opposition Senator Miguel Uribe of the far-right Democratic Center party.
I am profoundly concerned that, after the criminal attempt [to assassinate] Senator Miguel Uribe Turbay, it has publicly been insinuated that the “violent rhetoric” of this President’s Office triggered the attack. As has already been established by investigative authorities, there is no proof whatsoever that links this government nor its discourses to this regrettable act.
President Gustavo Petro
In an attempt to strike a more reconciliatory tone, the president told Trump that “I recognize that it is possible that some of my words may have been perceived as unnecessarily harsh.”
“In regards to dialogue, I would like to say that my intention is not to close doors, but to make way for an honest and respectful conversation between our countries,” said Petro.
In response, Rubio pulled his ambassador from Bogota, creating one of the most severe crises in the bilateral history of the two countries in decades.
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