U.S. Adviser Tries to Talk Mexican President Out of Skipping Summit of the Americas
U.S. Adviser Tries to Talk Mexican President Out of Skipping Summit of the Americas
"It's a battle over whether dictators should be included in a summit for democratic leaders," said AS/COA's Eric Farnsworth to NPR.
A U.S. special adviser is trying to smooth out tensions with Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador after he threatened to skip this year's Summit of the Americas in the U.S. over the guest list.
Former Sen. Chris Dodd, who is serving as President Biden's special adviser for the summit, met virtually with López Obrador over his threat if Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua are excluded.
López Obrador was quickly followed by other regional leaders who were protesting indications given by the Biden administration that the U.S. would only invite democratically elected leaders to the summit, which is taking place in Los Angeles early next month. […]
"It's a battle over whether dictators should be included in a summit for democratic leaders, that's a pretty clear-cut line," said Eric Farnsworth, a former State Department official now at the Council of Americas. "But once the president of one of the closest countries to the U.S. geographically and politically starts mentioning that, then it becomes a real issue and it gives cover to other people to line up behind the other."…
