Mexican President López Obrador said he would not attend the Summit of the Américas over the US’ refusal to invite several regional leaders. Washington has high hopes for the meeting to reset regional ties.
By DW
Jun 7, 2022
Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador announced late on Monday that he would not be attending the US-led Summit of the Américas.
The snub is another blow to President Joe Biden’s attempt to reboot Washington’s relationships with Latin América.
Meant to be a weeklong showcase of cooperation, in a time when the US is worried about rising Chinese influence, Biden’s decision to exclude the leaders of Cuba, Nicaragua and Venezuela risks turning into a display of deep divisions.
The White House said it would not invite the three countries because of their “lack of democratic space and the human rights situations.”
What did Lopez Obrador say?
“You cannot have a Summit of the Américas if you do not have all the countries of the Américas attending,” López Obrador said, complaining of US “hegemony” and “lack of respect for nations.”
Although Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard will represent México instead, the leftist leader’s absence will diminish the impact of a summit where US-México relations are at the heart of major immigration and trade issues.
The Biden administration insisted that there was no bad blood between Washington and México City, insisting that the US was simply sticking up for its principles.
“We do not believe that dictators should be invited,” Biden’s press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters.
Venezuela slams US ‘discrimination’
Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, who is being investigated by the International Criminal Court on allegations of crimes against humanity over rights violations, said Monday that the US decision to exclude three nations’ leaders from the summit was “an act of discrimination.”
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