Colombian President Gustavo Petro said Sunday he will return to New York to speak at the United Nations Security Council next month despite US sanctions that have complicated his travel, and he vowed to use Colombia’s incoming Council seat to elevate Palestinian concerns.
Petro, concluding a weeklong trip to the Middle East that included meetings with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, spoke with Al Jazeera in Cairo and said Colombia, which takes its seat on the Security Council on Jan. 1, should lend that platform to Palestinians.
“Colombia will be, from Jan. 1, a member of the Security Council,” he said. “I will have the pleasure of returning to New York, even if the federal government does not want to receive me there, because I want to speak before the Security Council.”
Petro says US measures have made travel more difficult, but he could enter New York through a diplomatic pass
Petro has antagonized the U.S. government after participating in an anti-Israel protest at the U.N. General Assembly in September and publicly criticizing U.S. policy on Gaza. On his return from that visit, Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced that the U.S. had canceled Petro’s visa. More recently, the U.S. Treasury placed the Colombian president on a list of people or organizations it says are tied to narcotics trafficking, a designation that typically brings asset freezes and travel restrictions.
Petro said those measures have made travel more difficult, but would not silence him. He recounted an incident on the current trip in which, during a refueling stop in Cape Verde, his aircraft was denied jet fuel amid concerns a U.S. firm would face penalties, forcing a reroute through Madrid. Petro also holds Italian citizenship, which gives him certain travel options, and as a head of state, he could conceivably obtain a diplomatic pass to attend U.N. meetings.
“I am used to persecution. That allows me to resist with some calm,” he told Al Jazeera. “They want to silence me and corner me so I can do nothing. And I am moving. Look where I am. I come from Saudi Arabia, I’m going to Qatar.”
Petro presented the Colombian Order of Boyaca to Mahmoud Abbas
During his Cairo visit, Petro met Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and toured humanitarian operations, including a Red Crescent relief center. He presented the Colombian Order of Boyaca, the country’s highest honor, to the director of Gaza’s Al-Shifa Hospital, a Palestinian journalist, an activist, and a volunteer who cares for orphans, Petro’s office said.
Petro also pledged Colombian assistance for Gaza’s reconstruction, saying Bogota would provide expertise in prosthetics for injured children and was exploring sending doctors from Colombia’s military hospital.
The statements cap a period of heightened tensions between Bogota and Washington. Petro has sharply criticized U.S. policy in recent months and has warned he will not be silenced by sanctions. U.S. officials have not publicly reversed the visa decision or the Treasury listing.
Analysts say Petro’s plans to travel to New York could present a diplomatic test: While heads of state typically have access to U.N. meetings, U.S. enforcement of visa and Treasury measures could complicate his arrival and attendance. Petro said he would pursue the trip regardless, and that Colombia would use its brief Security Council term to amplify the Palestinian presence in debates on Gaza and humanitarian assistance.
Related: Colombia’s Petro Ends His Middle East Tour in Qatar.