Colombian anger at Willis's cocaine trade comments
Bruce Willis has come under fire from Colombian politicians, after the actor said the United States should consider “doing whatever it takes to end the cocaine trade” in the South American nation.
Andres Pastrana, Colombia’s ambassador to the US, wrote in a letter to the actor made public that the source of the lucrative cocaine trade was an “enormous appetite for drugs, in particular in the United States and Europe“.
As president in 2000, Pastrana launched an anti-drug effort with billions in aid from the United States.
He added in his letter that no country had sacrificed more than Colombia to bring drug trafficking under control, and invited Willis to visit.
Pastrana said: “If you accept, you will see that, beyond Hollywood cliches, 44 million Colombians are waging a real war against drugs.”
The actor said during a press conference to promote his new film, 16 Blocks, that the US should consider “going to Colombia and doing whatever it takes to end the cocaine trade“.
Last week, Colombian President Alvaro Uribe branded him arrogant and ignorant, calling his comments “a shock to Colombia’s dignity“.
