International
Petro raises nine points to start the discussion about an eventual Constituent Assembly in Colombia
The president of Colombia, Gustavo Petro, proposed on Thursday nine points that he believes should be included in the discussion on the eventual convening of a Constituent Assembly, an idea that his Government has been thinking about for months.
“First of all, a constituent is the constituent power and the national agreement on the issues,” Petro said in his X account, a day after the liberal politician Juan Fernando Cristo, announced on Wednesday as the new Minister of the Interior, stated that his appointment was made with the purpose of seeking a national agreement that allows the exploration of a Constituent Assembly.
In that sense, the issues proposed today by Petro begin with the “immediate guarantee of the universal right to education, health and pensions,” followed by a “new territorial order.”
Thirdly, the president proposes to put into question “the economic and social development of the excluded territories,” and fourthly, “the agrarian reform.”
Petro’s agenda for this national discussion that may lead to a constituent also includes “adaptation to the climate crisis,” “reform of Justice,” “political reform” and “the pact for a productive economy.”
Finally, the president proposes “judicial truth and social forgiveness for a definitive peace,” which he considers could be the closure of the long period of the Colombian conflict, since the president not only has several peace processes open with illegal armed groups, but also considers that the State is not complying with the agreement signed in 2016 with the former FARC guerrilla.
Last March Petro proposed, during an event in Cali (southwest), the convening of a National Constituent Assembly if its reforms are not approved in Congress, starting from the idea that the people, as a primary constituent, want it.
Since then, that idea has been a reason for national controversy because the opposition considers that the 1991 Constitution contains the tools to make the necessary changes and therefore it is not necessary to reform it, and they see in Petro’s proposal an intention to seek re-election or extend his four-year presidential term that ends on August 7, 2026.
The discussion took force yesterday after Christ, confirming his appointment as Minister of the Interior, announced that he will seek agreements with the different forces of the country that lead to the convening of a constituent.
Cristo, a veteran politician who was a senator for 16 years and Minister of the Interior during the term of Juan Manuel Santos (2010-2018), assured in a statement that one of his fundamental purposes will be “the search for a true national agreement that allows the possibility of convening a Constituent National Assembly under the parameters of the Constitution of ’91 to be explored into the future.”
One of the first to reject that project yesterday was former President Iván Duque (2018-2022), who assured that an eventual convocation of a Constituent Assembly in Colombia seeks to perpetuate Petro in power.
“A National Constituent Assembly aims to perpetuate in power the current Government and the Historical Pact (official coalition). The ‘National Agreement’ is a facade to provoke an institutional rupture,” Duque said in his account of X.
Former President Álvaro Uribe (2002-2010), also rejected Petro’s plan and assured: “There is no reason for Colombia to have more delays and decades lost with constitutional uncertainty.”
International
U.S. and Mexico Reach Deal to Address Water Deficit Under 1944 Treaty
The United States and Mexico have reached an agreement to comply with current water obligations affecting U.S. farmers and ranchers and for Mexico to cover its water deficit to Texas under the 1944 Water Treaty, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said in a statement.
The department уточified that the agreement applies to both the current cycle and the water deficit from the previous cycle.
On Monday, U.S. President Donald Trump accused Mexico of failing to comply with the water-sharing treaty between the two countries, which requires the United States to deliver 1.85 billion cubic meters of water from the Colorado River, while Mexico must supply 432 million cubic meters from the Rio Grande.
Mexico is behind on its commitments. According to Washington, the country has accumulated a deficit of more than one billion cubic meters of water over the past five years.
“This violation is severely harming our beautiful crops and our livestock in Texas,” Trump wrote on Monday.
The Department of Agriculture said on Friday that Mexico had agreed to supply 250 million cubic meters of water starting next week and to work toward closing the shortfall.
Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, quoted in the statement, said Mexico delivered more water in a single year than it had over the previous four years combined.
Trump has said that if Mexico continues to fall short of its obligations, the United States reserves the right to impose 5% tariffs on imported Mexican products.
Mexico’s Deputy Foreign Minister for North America, Roberto Velasco, said that a severe drought in 2022 and 2023prevented the country from meeting its commitments.
International
Several people shot in attack on Brown University campus
Several people were shot on Saturday in an attack on the campus of Brown University, in the northeastern United States, local police reported.
“Shelter in place and avoid the area until further notice,” the Providence Police Department urged in a post on X. Brown University is located in Providence, the capital of the state of Rhode Island.
U.S. President Donald Trump said on his social media platform Truth Social that he had been briefed on the situation and that the FBI was on the scene.
At 5:52 p.m. local time (11:52 p.m. GMT), Brown University said the situation was still “ongoing” and instructed students to remain sheltered until further notice.
After initially stating that the suspect had been taken into custody, Trump later posted a second message clarifying that local police had walked back that information. “The suspect has NOT been apprehended,” the U.S. president said.
International
Colombia says it would not reject Maduro asylum request as regional tensions escalate
The Colombian government stated on Thursday that it would have no reason to reject a potential asylum request from Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro should he leave office, as regional tensions persist over the deployment of U.S. military forces in the Caribbean since August.
“In the current climate of tension, negotiations are necessary, and if the United States demands a transition or political change, that is something to be assessed. If such a transition results in him (Maduro) needing to live elsewhere or seek protection, Colombia would have no reason to deny it,” said Colombian Foreign Minister Rosa Villavicencio in an interview with Caracol Radio.
However, Villavicencio noted that it is unlikely Maduro would choose Colombia as a refuge. “I believe he would opt for someplace more distant and calmer,” she added.
Colombian President Gustavo Petro also commented on Venezuela’s situation on Wednesday, arguing that the country needs a “democratic revolution” rather than “inefficient repression.” His remarks followed the recent detention and passport cancellation of Cardinal Baltazar Porras at the Caracas airport.
“The Maduro government must understand that responding to external aggression requires more than military preparations; it requires a democratic revolution. A country is defended with more democracy, not more inefficient repression,” Petro wrote on X (formerly Twitter), in a rare public criticism of the Venezuelan leader.
Petro also called for a general amnesty for political opponents and reiterated his call for forming a broad transitional government to address Venezuela’s prolonged crisis.
Since September, U.S. military forces have destroyed more than 20 vessels allegedly carrying drugs in Caribbean and Pacific waters near Venezuela and Colombia, resulting in over 80 deaths.
U.S. President Donald Trump has repeatedly warned that attacks “inside Venezuela” will begin “soon,” while Maduro has urged Venezuelans to prepare for what he describes as an impending external aggression.
U.S. and Mexico Reach Deal to Address Water Deficit Under 1944 Treaty
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Colombia says it would not reject Maduro asylum request as regional tensions escalate
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