The United States has no funds for Colombia, according to Mario Díaz-Balart – USA – International

2023-07-19 06:00:00

Mario Díaz-Balart, one of the most influential legislators within the Republican Party in the United States, spoke exclusively with EL TIEMPO about the decision made by the Joe Biden administration to suspend monitoring of illicit crops in Colombia, which was given to know exclusively by this newspaper.

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In this regard, Díaz-Balart, who is also president of the US Congress’ Subcommittee on Appropriations for Foreign Operations, pointed out that he has already started an investigation and said that they will not stop insisting until the decision is reversed.

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However, in the conversation with this newspaper, the legislator confirmed that in the current budget -approved last week by the Committee he chairs-, there are no funds for Colombia and that these will only be approved when the government of Gustavo Petro “corrects its current direction.

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“Today there are no funds in the allocation budget of the House of Representatives. President Petro can change that, but he has to change it with actions, not with words. Words are very nice, but that does not interest me much” , said Mario Díaz-Balart, who added: “What we are monitoring is the situation within Colombia and President Petro’s relations with the world’s narco-terrorists. That worries us a lot.”

(In context: the US confirms suspension of monitoring of illicit crops in Colombia)

What we are monitoring is the situation within Colombia and President Petro’s relations with the world’s narcoterrorists. That worries us a lot.

And it is for the legislator, “the measures taken by President Petro are returning the country to the 90s”, when it was “almost a failed state.”

For this reason, he said: “The decision is up to President Petro. If he wants to maintain the positive relationship, which has helped Colombia so much, he can do it and then the funds will be for Colombia. But, if he insists on separating and joining the terrorist countries or the dictatorships of the Hemisphere and the world, obviously should not expect funds from the US taxpayer”.

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Diaz-Balart announced on Friday his decision to “defer” for now all the aid that is being considered to support Colombia in fiscal year 2024, which begins in October of this year. The congressman, who is from the Republican party and leads this committee, made the announcement of him when presenting the budget project for Foreign Operations for the year 2024, which is where almost all the funds directed to the country are included.

This draft, in any case, is only the beginning of the appropriation process in the United States Congress. The project will have to be discussed by the Appropriations Commission in plenary and, after being approved, it would go to the plenary.

(Also: Republicans criticize decision to suspend monitoring of illicit crops in Colombia)

At the same time, the Senate – which is controlled by Democrats – will advance its own allocation process.

Once both are approved, a conciliation commission would be appointed to iron out the differences. In other words, the funds for Colombia could be restored by the Senate or in the necessary phases in the House of Representatives. In any case, it is the first time since Plan Colombia was approved in 2000 that such a drastic decision has been made.

SERGIO GÓMEZ MASERI
TIME CORRESPONDENT
WASHINGTON