As EL TIEMPO had anticipated this Monday, the United States confirmed that it has suspended monitoring of coca crops in Colombia for the first time in more than three decades, one that has drawn strong criticism of the decision from members of the Republican party.
(Read also: The project that excludes aid for Colombia takes a new step in the United States Congress)
“We constantly evaluate the effectiveness of various counternarcotics measures and make changes to our work as needed. We continue to work with the Colombian government to monitor illicit coca crops,” said a State Department spokesperson after clarifying that the suspension was temporary.
The official response from the State Department arrived this Friday, although the spokesperson did not specify when monitoring will resume, that allows a US established the extent of illicit crops in the country.
Sources consulted by this newspaper both in the White House and in the State Department and others have already confirmed the decision to this newspaper since the beginning of the week.
Biden has decided to no longer monitor coca crops in Colombia. Petro got away with it. This Administration will do everything to please its friends. pic.twitter.com/ui9bt33A9P
— Maria Elvira Salazar 🇺🇸 (@MaElviraSalazar) July 13, 2023
Suspending coca monitoring in Colombia is ridiculous.
According to these sources, the decision was made approximately two and a half months ago. when the Colombian government was informed that not only had the program been suspended, but also that the annual report on illicit crops in the country that the White House normally publishes in June of each year would not be released.
(Also read: Colombia seeks the US to homologate university degrees for migrants: what would it be like?)
Both Republican Senator Marco Rubio and House representatives Lincoln Díaz-Balart and María Elvira Salazar came out against the Joe Biden administration for the measure and questioned the underlying motivations.
“Suspending coca monitoring in Colombia is ridiculous. This is a gift to the Petro administration that is actively negotiating with the ELN and Maduro. It is another example of the Biden administration making concessions to far-left governments in the region,” Rubio said. .
Republicans criticized the decision of the Joe Biden government and questioned the underlying motivations.
Juan Pablo Rueda. TIME
This is the official response that the State Department gave to EL TIEMPO
We continue to work with Colombia, as well as regional partners, to monitor the production of illicit substances and hold accountable criminal organizations involved in the production or trade of these substances.
Disrupting the cocaine trade remains a high priority, as we also focus on disrupting the fentanyl trade. The cocaine trade perpetuates violence and crime, not to mention death, in the United States and throughout Latin America.
As for data collection for crop estimates, this is only temporary. We constantly evaluate the effectiveness of various counternarcotics efforts and make changes to our efforts as necessary. We continue to work with the Government of Colombia to monitor illicit coca crops.
We continue to work with the Government of Colombia to monitor illicit coca crops
The UN estimates provided additional information that we used to improve our understanding of current trends. By having two separate tests with different methodologies, we gain a greater understanding of the situation. We continue to work with Colombia, as well as regional partners, to monitor the production of illicit substances and hold accountable criminal organizations involved in the production or trade of these substances.
SERGIO GOMEZ MASERI
EL TIEMPO correspondent
Washington
On Twitter @sergom68
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