Colombian President Gustavo Petro: End the War on Drugs
At his United Nations General Assembly address this week, newly elected leftist Colombian president Gustavo Petro denounced the war on drugs and destruction of the planet waged by the United States. We reprint his remarks here in full.
Colombian president Gustavo Petro speaks during the Seventy-seventh Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) at the UN headquarters on September 20, 2022, in New York City. (Anna Moneymaker / Getty Images)
Secretary-general of the United Nations António Guterres, Your Excellencies, heads of state and heads of missions accredited to the Seventy-seventh United Nations General Assembly; Deputy Secretary-general of the United Nations Amina Mohammed, to all of you.
I come from one of the three most beautiful countries on Earth. There is an explosion of life there. Thousands of multicolored species in the seas, in the skies, on the land. I come from the land of yellow butterflies and magic. There, in the mountains and valleys of all the shades of green, flow not just abundant waters but also torrents of blood.
I come from a country of bloodsoaked beauty. My country is not just beautiful — it is also violent.
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