The two politicians, who often clashed violently in parliament, expressed their willingness to hold a dialogue after August 7th.
Colombian President-elect Gustavo Petro, the country’s first left-wing leader, and former hard-line leader Alvaro Uribe had an unprecedented private meeting in the capital, Bogota, on Wednesday.
“I reiterated what I said during the campaign, my government will not use the state to prosecute the opposition,” Petros assured via Instagram after his half-hour meeting with his former leader. State (2002-2010).
The two politicians, who often clashed violently in parliament, expressed their willingness to hold a dialogue after August 7th, the date when Mr. Petros takes office.
“Mr. President, give me a channel of communication with you, I will not bother you much, we will talk about the problems of the country. “We will approve everything we can, we will do it without calculation”, said Mr. Uribe during a press conference after the meeting.
When he was elected on June 19th, Gustavo Petro referred to the need for a “national agreement” with all political forces to implement the reforms he promises to reduce inequalities and consolidate the peace process that began in 2016.
Mr Petros, who is currently negotiating in parliament to secure a majority, is facing hostility from strong conservative parties, who view with disdain the coming to power of the former guerrilla who has transformed into a Social Democrat.
In the presidential election, former President Uribe’s Democratic Center was not represented in the second round, after right-wing coalition candidate Federico Gutierrez was eliminated in the first round.
In the Senate of Colombia, Gustavo Petro had repeatedly denounced Alvaro Uribe’s alleged links to far-right paramilitary organizations. He had also accused the former president’s father of being involved in drug trafficking.
Alvaro Uribe, who also served as a senator, described Gustavo Petros as a “paid assassin”.
The conflict between them culminated when then-President Juan Manuel Santos signed an agreement with the leadership of the former Colombian Revolutionary Armed Forces (FARC).
The former president secures his still high popularity in part due to his intransigence towards the guerrillas. The president-elect declared from the outset a supporter of the peace agreement signed in Havana.
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