source: LAWG (Latin America Working Group)
Representatives Greg Casar (D-TX), McGovern (D-MA), Johnson (D-GA), Pocan (D-WI), Schakowsky (D-IL), and DeLauro (D-CT), joined by 40 other congressional representatives, published a letter calling for strengthened U.S. support in the Colombian peace process. The letter urges President Biden and Secretary of State Antony Blinken to:
1) appoint a U.S special envoy to the peace talks in Colombia;
2) reverse the Trump Administration’s decision to designate Cuba as a state sponsor of terrorism (SSOT), an erroneous label they received for acting as guarantors for the Colombian peace process (Norway, the other guarantor, is notably not marked as an SSOT country).
July 31, 2024 - U.S. Representatives Greg Casar (TX-35), Rosa DeLauro (CT-03), Hank Johnson (GA-04), Jim McGovern (MA-02), Mark Pocan (WI-02), and Jan Schakowsky (IL-09) led 46 total Democrats in urging the Biden-Harris Administration to strengthen their support for the implementation of Colombia’s 2016 peace accord.
Specifically, the letter released today asks that the Biden-Harris Administration appoint a U.S special envoy to Colombia’s peace talks. Under President Obama, Bernie Aronson was designated as special envoy to Colombia for those successful peace negotiations. Furthermore, the letter asks for the reversal of the Trump Administration’s designation of Cuba as a state sponsor of terrorism (SSOT), because Trump’s punishment of Cuba was allegedly for Cuba’s support of Colombia’s peace process.
“The U.S. has a vested interest in ensuring Colombia's peace process is successful,” wrote the Members. “President Gustavo Petro has attempted to address the continued violence by strengthening Colombia’s commitment to the peace process through his ‘Total Peace’ plan… [The] Administration has an opportunity to help achieve a lasting peace in Colombia through the appointment of a new special envoy, [which] will signal the U.S.'s continued commitment to the peace process in Colombia and provide the plan with renewed momentum.”
In February 2015, President Barack Obama appointed Bernie Aronson as U.S. Special Envoy to the Colombian Peace Process. The U.S.’s explicit support for Colombia’s peace process was instrumental in pushing the negotiations forward and facilitating the integration of key U.S. priorities into the final accord.
The letter is signed by U.S. Representatives Don Beyer (VA-08), Jamaal Bowman (NY-16), Cori Bush (MO-01), André Carson (IN-07), Greg Casar (TX-35), Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (FL-20), Judy Chu (CA-28), Emanuel Cleaver (MO-05), Steve Cohen (TN-09), Rosa DeLauro (CT-03), Mark DeSaulnier (CA-10), Lloyd Doggett (TX-37), Jesús “Chuy” G. García (IL-04), Robert Garcia (CA-42), Raúl Grijalva (AZ-07), Jonathan Jackson (IL-01), Pramila Jayapal (WA-07), Hank Johnson (GA-04), Sydney Kamlager-Dove (CA-37), Ro Khanna (CA-17), Dan Kildee (MI-08), Barbara Lee (CA-12), Summer Lee (PA-12), Teresa Leger Fernandez (NM-03), Zoe Lofgren (CA-18), Stephen Lynch (MA-08), Betty McCollum (MN-04), Jim McGovern (MA-02), Gwen Moore (WI-04), Seth Moulton (MA-06), Grace Napolitano (CA-31), Eleanor Holmes Norton (DC), Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (NY-14), Ilhan Omar (MN-05), Mark Pocan (WI-02), Ayanna Pressley (MA-07), Mike Quigley (IL-05), Delia Ramirez (IL-03), Jan Schakowsky (IL-09), Melanie Stansbury (NM-01), Bennie Thompson (MS-02), Rashida Tlaib (MI-12), Lori Trahan (MA-03), David Trone (MD-06), Nydia Velásquez (NY-07), and Maxine Waters (CA-43).
It is supported by the Alliance for Cuba Engagement and Respect (ACERE), Center for Economic and Policy Research (CEPR), Colombia Acuerdo de Paz, Latin America Working Group (LAWG), and Washington Office on Latin America (WOLA).
The full letter can be viewed here.
