Weekly Roundup: U.S. Candidates on Cuba, Australia-Chile Pact, and Honduran Enviro Summit

Democratic frontrunner Barack Obama delivered his first major remarks on U.S. policy in the Western Hemisphere during a Friday speech at the Cuban American National Foundation in Miami. The senator from Illinois said he would carry on the U.S. embargo against Cuba but reverse travel and remittance restrictions, continue and update the Andean Counter-Drug Program, improve security through diplomacy in Central America and by stemming smuggling at the U.S.-Mexico border, create a regional energy partnership, and support free-trade agreements with environmental and labor laws attached. Former Cuban leader Fidel Castro responded to Obama’s comments in Granma, criticizing the senator’s proposed Cuba policy while calling him the most “progressive” of the candidates.

During his remarks, Obama described President George Bush’s Americas policy as “negligent” and said the presumptive Republican nominee John McCain “chose to embrace” the Bush record on Latin America. His criticism of Republican policy came days after McCain described Obama’s proposal to meet with Cuban President Raúl Castro as a step that “would send the worst possible signal to Cuba’s dictators.”

During a speech in Puerto Rico, Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton pledged to support Cuban civil society and argued that the minor reforms made by Cuban President Raúl Castro “are minor compared with the giant leaps” needed.

AS/COA Online takes a closer look at the McCain-Obama debate over U.S. policy toward Cuba.

Puerto Rico’s Primaries

New York Senator Hillary Clinton spent three days campaigning in Puerto Rico, where she is favored to win the June 1 primary but admitted that she faces an uphill battle in the race to win the Democratic nomination. The candidates compete for 63 delegate votes in the territory of Puerto Rico, which participates in the primaries but not in the November presidential election. A New York Times op-ed by Columbia University’s Michael Janeway outlines Puerto Rico’s role in U.S. presidential elections.

The Death of the FARC’s “Sureshot”

Colombia’s government announced the death of Manuel Marulanda, the leader of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), whose birth name is Pedro Antonio Marin and who was also known as “Tirofijo” (“Shureshot). The FARC followed the news with a confirmation that Marulanda, who led the rebel group for more than four decades, died in March. The Guardian discusses the FARC leader’s death and whether the guerilla group’s days are numbered.

A new AS/COA analysis about Marulanda’s death focuses on the FARC’s growing weakness and a new program proposed by the Uribe government to increase FARC desertion.

Colombia’s VP Heading to Moscow

In early June, Colombia’s Vice President Francisco Santos will visit Russia. An analysis in Kommersant suggests that, Santos’ visit will serve the twin purpose of boosting military ties and convincing Moscow to decrease its arms sales to Venezuela. Although Russia has served as a top arms supplier of Venezuela since Washington imposed an arms embargo on Caracas in 2005, “Russian has no priorities other than economic” in Latin America, says the analysis. More than 90 percent of Venezuela’s arms imports came from Russia between 2003 and 2007, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute. Colombian officials countered the Kommersant report by saying military cooperation was just one agenda topic during Santos’ visit.

Santos joined AS/COA in April for a discussion about Colombia’s recent strides in terms of both the economy and security. Listen to audio of his remarks.

Ecuadorian, Colombian Officials Meet at OAS

Officials at the Organization of American States took steps Tuesday to repair relations between Colombia and Ecuador, with envoys from both countries meeting as part of the process to renew ties that have been broken since March 3, following the Colombian attack on a FARC camp on Ecuadorian territory. Officials from both countries also met in late April and early May.

On June 2, AS/COA hosts a discussion panel entitled “The Andean Region at a Crossroads,” featuring a keynote address by Ecuador’s Minister of the Interior, Fernando Bustamente.

OECD Review of Brazilian Economic Growth

In a survey on Brazilian growth, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) commends Brazil’s regulatory agencies and credits increasing competitiveness for boosting the country’s economic performance. The OECD also recommends infrastructure modernization and strengthening governance in the report, which serves as a review of Brazilian regulatory reform.

Lula’s Haiti Stopover

Brazilian President Luis Inácio Lula da Silva stopped for six hours in Haiti Wednesday to discuss a series of accords, including a food program involving a $200,000 Brazilian donation. The visit comes as Haiti enters its seventh week without a prime minister, following violent food riots that forced Prime Minister Jacques-Edouard Alexis to step down.

Argentine Farmers Renew Strikes

Talks broke down between farm groups and the government this week, prompting Argentine farmers to renew protests and block grain exports in protest of against Argentine export taxes imposed in March. The administration of President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner cancelled a meeting Monday after a nationwide Sunday rally during which farm leaders demanded progress on the tariffs. According to a Financial Times article, the protest will likely aggravate the global food crisis; Argentina serves as one of China’s top soybean suppliers at this time of year.

Chile, Australia Ink Trade Pact

Australia and Chile signed a free trade agreement Tuesday described as “the most ambitious and comprehensive free trade agreement ever signed by Australia.” The deal will eliminate 97 percent of trade tariffs between the two countries by 2009, followed by the remainder before 2015.

Creating a Credit Line to Combat Food Price Rise

The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) announced intentions of creating a $500 million credit line to offset rising food prices. The IDB announced that, from January 2006 to March 2008, worldwide rice prices doubled, corn prices rose by 128 percent, and wheat prices soared 163 percent.

Ex-General Links Fujimori to Death Squads

In the human rights trial against ex-President of Peru Alberto Fujimori, former Peruvian General Rodolfo Robles testified Monday that Fujimori authorized two massacres. The killings, which claimed 25 lives, took place in the early 1990s at La Cantuta University and in Lima’s Barrio Altos.

Human Smuggling at the Border

A PBS Frontline/New York Times project examines human smuggling along the U.S.-Mexico border, including multimedia coverage of corrupt border patrol officials, smuggling routes used by coyotes, a map of security points, and interviews with officials and experts.

Funding the Merida Initiative

A Christian Science Monitor editorial recommends that U.S. Congress approve full funding for the Merida Initiative, a project proposed by the Bush administration in conjunction with the Mexican government to combat drug cartels.

An Environmental Summit in Honduras

Heads of state from Mexico, Guatemala, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Costa Rica, Panama, Honduras, and Belize meet in the Honduran city of San Pedro Sula to discuss strategies to meet environmental challenges. Honduras’ La Prensa offers a summary of proposals, including Mexican President Felipe Calderón’s push for a “green fund” to counteract the negative effects of pollution.