Senator María Fernanda Cabal, a staunch opponent of President Gustavo Peto, ended up visiting the private office of the heads of state thanks to an invitation, precisely, from the president whom she criticizes so much.
The appointment took place on Thursday of this week and the invitation came directly from Petro, who contacted the Uribe senator to talk regarding an underlying issue: the safety of the congresswoman’s children who had to leave the country due to threats.
The call was given on Wednesday followingnoon and was made by Petro’s private secretary, Laura Sanabria, who told Cabal that the Head of State wanted to speak directly with her to find out how her family’s safety was and, incidentally, provide you with all the guarantees that allow you to safeguard your integrity.
Cabal immediately said yes. In addition, because it is an issue that touches the whole family, the rancher leader, José Félix Lafaurie –president of Fedegán– was informed and just before the appointment he took a flight back to Bogotá, since he was in the Llano fulfilling the agenda. of his own charge.
What is known is that the FARC dissidents that called themselves ‘Second Marquetalia’ –which are under the command of peace deserter alias Iván Márquez’– threatened Luisa and Santiago, two of the children of the Lafaurie-Cabal couple, and to guarantee their lives they left Colombia. They did, of course, with the consent and help of their parents.
That is precisely what Petro spoke to the Senator of the Democratic Center and the President of Fedegán. The first thing he informed them is that the State is willing to provide them with the security that is required for their integrity to remain intact, but that – likewise – it respects their decision to send them abroad.
The meeting lasted just over an hour and, according to sources close to both parties, it took place calmly. It was even confirmed that only the safety of the two young people was discussed and political issues were avoided that, as is public knowledge, have them on ideologically very distant shores.
The meeting, which took place in the office of President Petro, also served for Cabal to confess that during the four years of Iván Duque’s administration it was never invited to that place. That, by way of anecdote, confirms that the Senator’s relationship with the now former president was always tense.
But, going back to Thursday’s meeting, it was also learned that Manuel Alberto Casanova, head of the National Intelligence Directorate (DN), and of the National Protection Unit (UNP), Augusto Rodríguez, two former M-19 militants who they were harshly criticized by Cabal and Lafaurie following their appointment to those positions.
The reason is that the two of them are the heads of state that must guarantee the safety of the congresswoman and her family and –according to the Cabal itself– that commitment was ratified following the meeting.
“There we refer to him threats that came from behind and that are prosecuted, and the seriousness of these current ones. The instruction was to reinforce security, even permanently,” Senator Cabal confirmed.
This means, according to other sources, that Cabal and Lafaurie will also have reinforcement in their schemes and that, as for their children, the conditions required to fully guarantee their physical integrity will be reviewed in case for them to return to the country.
Of course, both parties made it clear that the meeting was exclusively regarding the safety of the children of Cabal and Lafaurie, which they did so that the narrative that the opposition would supposedly be seeking rapprochements with the government that they have criticized so much does not spread. .
However, it is worth remembering that former President Álvaro Uribe met personally with Petro and they agreed that they will have a direct dialogue channel so that the Head of State is aware of what the natural leader of the opposition thinks and that, when the case, their perspectives can serve to support the management of the government.
For now, it is not clear whether the Senator’s children will return to the country in the immediate future, but the Petro administration’s commitment to provide all security guarantees to the opposition has remained firm.
Even at the end of the appointment at the Palace, Petro tacitly let them know that during his government they will be able to express themselves freely and have all the space to criticize their government work if they consider it pertinent.
