Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos says he hopes to forge an “alliance for peace” when he meets with US President Obama Tuesday morning in Washington DC.
President Santos was reported on Caracol Radio on Monday morning as saying the tone of his meeting will be “totally different” to previous talks. He said Colombia is no longer coming with “the hat out, asking for help.”
“This time we’ll be talking education, technology, biodiversity. The agenda will be not be dominated by issues such as the fight against drug trafficking and terrorism,” Santos said.
His last meeting with Obama in 2011 was related to negotiations about the US-Colombia free trade agreement which has been in force for over a year and a half.
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The La Nacion newspaper reports Santos is scheduled to meet Obama at 11am Tuesday, followed by meetings with Nancy Pelosi and John Boehner, leader of the Democratic Party and Republican Party respectively.
This will also be the first major event for the new Colombian ambassador in Washington, Luis Carlos Villegas who replaced Carlos Urrutia, who was forced to resign over land theft accusations.
MORE: Santos announces Colombia’s new ambassador to Washington
Sources
- Santos propondrá a Obama una alianza para la paz (Caracol Radio)
- Santos se reunirá con Obama (La Nacion)