Petro Seeks to Revise US-Colombia Trade Deal After Visa Clash

Colombian President Gustavo Petro said he will push to renegotiate the nation’s free trade pact with the US, deepening a diplomatic rift after Washington revoked his visa.

Petro also said he would seek to terminate Colombia’s trade accord with Israel.

Petro justified the idea of amending the US agreement on environmentalist grounds. In a televised cabinet meeting on Monday, the leftist leader said that “machinery that emits CO2 must pay tariffs” regardless of whether it is from the US, China, or India.

“If the US has already changed the FTA, why don’t we?” Petro said. “Trade is not above life.”

Any change to a trade agreement would require congressional approval.

Earlier in the day, Colombia’s finance minister, foreign minister and other top officials said they would renounce their US visas after the State Department canceled Petro’s permit. Washington accused the president of “reckless and incendiary” behavior at last week’s UN General Assembly, where he urged US soldiers to disobey orders from Donald Trump.

Read More: Colombian Ministers Renounce Visas as Relations With Trump Sour

While many South American nations now trade more with China, the US remains Colombia’s largest partner. The Andean country shipped about 30% of its $50 billion in exports to the US last year.

Petro last called for a renegotiation of the US trade agreement in 2023.