The United States will not invite Cuba, Nicaragua and Venezuela to the summit

MIAMI (AP) – The administration of US President Joe Biden is unlikely to invite the leaders of Venezuela, Nicaragua and Cuba to the next US summit, a senior foreign ministry official said on Wednesday. Chairman of the meeting.

The summit, to be held in Los Angeles in early June, will focus on the protection of democracy and human rights in the Western Hemisphere, but will also focus on efforts to ensure equal development around the world in the face of irregular migration, climate change and the emergence of the region. From the Govt-19 epidemic, Undersecretary of State Brian Nichols told reporters.

A top US diplomat in the Western Hemisphere has said invitations have not yet been sent, but he said neither Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, Nicaragua’s Daniel Ortega or Cuba’s Miguel Diaz-Connell would be part of the event. Countries in the region consider them undemocratic.

“It is unlikely they will be there,” he told several reporters.

Nichols declined to say whether Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Quito, who was recognized by the United States as Venezuela’s legitimate leader in 2019, would be invited, but only said that a decision would be made “soon”.

“The White House will decide who to call,” Nichols said.

The maneuver over Guaidó’s role has come as the Biden administration has taken temporary measures to reinvigorate what Nicolas Maduro called the “regime.” In March, three top US officials, including Juan Gonzalez of the National Security Council, secretly traveled to Caracas to meet with Maduro.

The visit was partly triggered by US national security concerns as Russia’s occupation of Ukraine has renewed interest in Russia’s largest oil partner in the world, Venezuela.

Maduro retaliated by releasing two American prisoners and promising to resume talks with his opponents. However, after criticism from some deportees and some Democrats, the dialogue between Maduro and the United States has not yet produced definitive conclusions.

Nichols said the United States was committed to bringing Maduro back to the negotiating table with his opponents, but did not comment when asked whether calling on Quito would advance or prevent that goal.

“The democratic situation in Venezuela is something we will talk about openly at the summit, but I urge you to be patient while we wait for the White House to decide on how to handle that invitation,” he said.

The decision to set aside the Cuban government will dampen hopes for any reconciliation after four years of escalating tensions with the administration of former US President Donald Trump.

President Barack Obama invited Raul Castro to the summit in 2015. As part of a continuing effort to improve relations between the two Cold War rivals, the Cuban foreign minister last attended the 2018 summit in Peru, which Trump did not attend.

The Biden administration has taken a similarly tough stance against Ordega in Nicaragua. Nichols called Ortega’s re-election for the fourth time “a mockery” after many of Ordega’s rivals were imprisoned.

The United States has hosted the US Summit since 1994, when President Bill Clinton hosted regional leaders in Miami to push for a free trade agreement from Alaska to the Deira del Fuego.

However, as that lofty goal has long been abandoned in the wake of the rise of left-wing and / or anti-American politics in various parts of Latin America, many experts have questioned the need for an expensive meeting with the leaders of more than 30 countries presenting their own agenda. With Washington but they did not cooperate a little with each other.

In recent years, the region has diversified its trade and diplomatic relations, and the United States has largely been sidelined by the influence of hostile Russian, Chinese, Iranian, and other foreign powers.

Nichols on Wednesday praised the United States for its large-scale alliance in condemning Russia’s occupation of Ukraine. However, the official said the massive disruptions in supply chains caused by the conflict had raised concerns in the region.

“How do we address it to ensure that people in our hemisphere can buy the food they need to put on their table every night?” Nichols asked. “These are important issues that our leaders are facing.”