APEC: Petro questions world leaders for allowing war in Israel

The Colombian president, Gustavo Petropointed out this Thursday to the world leaders in the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Forum (APEC)among whom were the American Joe Bidenfor its role in current wars.

“Those who allow war, barbarism sit here”said Petro during his speech at the APEC leaders’ summit, of which Colombia is not an official part, and which was private, but which the Colombian Presidency reported on social networks.

The Colombian president, who has taken an active part in the Palestinian cause and has promised to bring Israel to the International Criminal Court for war crimes, took advantage of his intervention at the circular table to strengthen his position, which contrasts sharply with that of countries such as USAhost of the meeting held in San Francisco.

“In this world, if you cross the climate crisis with the political and military tensions of the world, you will find that what is falling out of our hands is the international right humanitarian (IHL). What was created after the defeat of the Nazis, a kind of democratic world, a forum for discussions and tensions, with peaceful solutions, is collapsing today,” said the Colombian head of state.

And continued: “A world without IHL and with the prospect of a climate crisis that would send tens of thousands of people into exodus is practically the prelude to barbarism.”

President Biden, who is hosting, was in charge of opening the two-day summit that follows a high-level week in San Francisco with high-level meetings between the foreign, trade and finance ministers of the 21 economies that make up part of APEC.

Biden’s speech, in front of the leaders of the APEC Sitting at a circular table, he focused on the effects that the climate crisis has on the economy and underlined the importance of all countries joining forces to avoid extreme weather events, such as droughts or floods.

Petro intervened after 20 other leaders in a three-minute speech that was going to talk about sustainability, the climate and the economic transition, but he took advantage of the moment to make this call for attention, ensuring that “If we want to decarbonize the economies that sit here, the war must end (…) and the governments that can stop the war are sitting here.”

The Colombian president had already made a similar call on November 3 in Washington during a meeting with several leaders from the region in the White House.

“I told Biden that the massacre could not continue to be allowed,” Petro reported after the meeting, emphasizing – again – that “The breakdown of international law that we are contemplating produces more violence, more barbarism and democratic destruction.”