Gulf Clan, major Colombia drug cartel, halts peace talks after Trump-Petro pact

Colombia's most powerful cartel has walked away from months-long peace talks, after Presidents Gustavo Petro and Donald Trump vowed a new offensive targeting three key cocaine trafficking bosses.

"This would be an attack on the good faith and commitments of Doha," the Gulf Clan, which had been talking with the government for about five months in Qatar, said in a statement on social media.

It announced it would "temporarily" leave the negotiating table and hold internal consultations.

Government officials confirmed to the AFP news agency that the account posting the message belongs to the paramilitary‑origin organisation.

At the White House on Tuesday, the Petro and Trump agreed to joint military and intelligence actions against Colombian criminal capos who together produce and supply much of the world's cocaine.

Joint US–Colombia operation

Colombian Defence Minister Pedro Sanchez said the two countries would target Ivan Mordisco, Colombia's most wanted rebel; Chiquito Malo, commander of the Clan del Golfo cartel; and Pablito, an ELN guerrilla leader operating on the Venezuelan border.

The Petro-Trump pact upends years of spluttering Colombian efforts to negotiate peace accords with big criminal groups.

Colombia produces about 70 percent of the world's cocaine, and the United States is by far the world's largest consumer.

"These are not new Colombian targets, but they are new targets for a joint US–Colombia operation," Sanchez told Colombia's Caracol radio.

Sanchez said Venezuela would also be asked to join the campaign. Many cartel and guerrilla fighters have traditionally found safety crossing the Colombia-Venezuela border.

The Colombian governments have long accused Caracas of funding and offering a safe haven to leftist guerrilla and cocaine trafficking groups.

But after the ouster of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, there are hopes that security cooperation can improve.