Spain denies fuel to Petro's presidential plane due to 'Clinton List'

An unusual and serious diplomatic and logistical setback occurred at Barajas Airport in Madrid, Spain, where the Colombian presidential plane (FAC 0001), a Boeing 737-700, was denied refueling. This was reported by Julio Sánchez Cristo, director of W Radio.

The incident, which occurred during a technical stop on President Gustavo Petro's route to his tour of the Middle East, was directly attributed to the Colombian president's recent inclusion on the 'OFAC (Office of Foreign Assets Control) List', or 'Clinton List', of the United States Treasury Department.

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The incident highlighted the immediate and drastic impact of US sanctions on Colombian assets and operations when they are under the use of a designated person on the list.

According to reports, the companies that supply fuel at Madrid airport are mostly subsidiaries of US-based corporations or companies with US capital. These companies were forced to refuse to supply fuel to the Colombian Air Force (FAC) aircraft for fear of committing serious violations of OFAC regulations.

Once the company's refusal was registered, the Colombian presidential plane was taken to a military base, where the Spanish government intervened in order to supply it with the necessary fuel.

Sources close to the Presidential Palace confirmed to this publication that the incident, which continues to put the head of state in the eye of the storm, is true. However, they indicated that the matter had not been revealed because it was being handled secretly.

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"They've kept it super secret until it leaked," the source said, adding, "It's all true. They've been having a lot of trouble over this issue since the weekend."

It is important to remember that the Colombian president is on a trip, which began on Monday, October 27 and lasts until November 4, to the Middle East, where he will visit countries such as Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Qatar.

In February of this year, the president made a similar tour of the Middle East, when he participated in the World Government Summit in Dubai (United Arab Emirates) and then traveled to Qatar to strengthen diplomatic relations and advance strategic agreements on trade and energy transition.

See more: President Petro arrived in Riyadh and met with the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia. US regulations impose severe penalties, including fines of up to $250,000 or twice the value of the unauthorized transaction, on any entity that conducts transactions with individuals or assets considered "blocked" by OFAC.

Although the aircraft is owned by the State and not directly by the Colombian president, its use by a "specially designated national" (SDN) activates restrictions, forcing companies to exercise extreme caution.

See more: Ministry of Energy requests the resignation of five executives from entities in the energy sector. This event has generated questions in Colombia, not only about the country's logistical vulnerability, but also about the viability of the president's international trips under the weight of these sanctions. The Colombian Air Force, in charge of the aircraft, is impacted by a decision that is completely outside its operational control and that demonstrates the extraterritorial reach of Washington's sanctions policy. FELIPE SANTANILLA AYALA

TIME