Petro wants to condition the non-extradition of drug traffickers to the U.S. on a pact with his government

Colombian President Gustavo Petro has announced that he will not extradite drug traffickers to the United States if they agree to negotiate with his government and leave the drug trafficking business.

Petro made the announcement on Wednesday during a press conference with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez. The Colombian president conveyed his position to the United States on Tuesday in a meeting with the director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), Rahul Gupta.

They will negotiate with Petro's government before

"Drug traffickers who do not negotiate with the State will be extradited. Drug traffickers who negotiate with the State and reoffend will be extradited, without any type of negotiation, to the United States. A drug trafficker who negotiates legal benefits with the Colombian state and stops being a drug trafficker will not be extradited," said Petro.

The President explained that he proposed to the United States four changes in the treatment of extradition cases, but did not mention the other points. "That's where we started, now the dialogues with the government in Washington will continue."

The U.S. does not commit

For his part, U.S. official Rahul Gupta, during a press conference with the Colombian ambassador to the United States, said:

Gupta added:

Gustavo Petro intends to hold new negotiations with terrorist groups such as the ELN and criminal gangs such as the Clan del Golfo to grant them legal benefits.