Colombia's Petro discusses anti-drug efforts, sanctions list with Trump

BOGOTA, July 3 (Reuters) - ‌Outgoing Colombian ​President ​Gustavo Petro and U.S. President Donald Trump held a phone call on Friday ‌focused on Colombia's efforts to reduce coca ⁠cultivation, the Colombian government said in a statement.

According to ‌the statement, Colombia said ‌it had met a previously agreed target of eradicating about 30,000 hectares of coca, the ​base ingredient in cocaine, under a voluntary program.

• The government said it now expects ⁠that total to reach 41,000 hectares by the end of 2026. ​It added that funding for the program is secured through the end of this ​year.

• The call comes ‌as Petro enters the final weeks of his presidency, before conservative Abelardo De ⁠La Espriella takes office.

• The conversation also took place against the backdrop of strained ties between ⁠Bogota and Washington. In October, the United States imposed sanctions ​on Petro, accusing him of failing to curb the drug trade.

• Petro asked Trump to remove the personal ‌sanction, Petro's office said, and Trump replied he would "do his best".

• Colombia has ‌long been one of Washington's closest security ⁠partners in Latin America, ‌and anti-drug cooperation ​has been a central part of that relationship for decades.

(Reporting by Julia Symmes ‌Cobb;)

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