Biden seeks unity and clashes at US summit

LOS ANGELES (AP) – President Joe Biden on Thursday sought to present a unified vision for the Western Hemisphere, but the US summit soon turned into an open conflict, highlighting the difficulties in uniting the United States. Migration, economy and climate.

“There is no reason why the Western Hemisphere should not be a more perspective, more democratic, more prosperous, more peaceful and secure region,” Biden said at the start of the summit. “We have unlimited energy.”

Following Biden’s remarks, Belize Prime Minister John Priscino publicly opposed the US withdrawal from the summit and the continuation of the US embargo on Cuba.

“This summit belongs to the whole of the United States – so the presence of American nations that are not here is unforgivable, and its absence diminishes the power of the summit,” Briseno said. “At this crucial juncture, when the future of our hemisphere is in jeopardy, we are divided. That is why the US summit must be inclusive. It defines the United States, not geography, not politics.

Biden faced further criticism from Argentine President Alberto Fernandez.

“We definitely want a different kind of summit in the United States,” Fernandez said in Spanish. “The silence of non-believers calls us.”

The 2001 Quebec Summit saw a setback on concessions, despite the consensus that anti-democratic governments would not be included in future conferences. Then the US president spoke again, trying to soften the differences by focusing on issues rather than the guest list.

“I think we have a strong start. We have heard that many important ideas have been put forward,” Biden said.

Inequalities in wealth, governance and national interests make it difficult for Fiden to copy the alliances he has formed in Asia and Europe. At the first US summit since 1994, it had already sparked low expectations.

While diplomatic efforts in Congress have been polarized by summit boycotts and legislative proposals, Biden has focused on trying to get companies and the private sector behind his efforts. Nevertheless, the summit did not fulfill the promise of the US president, especially the important summit of the President of Mexico and the uncertainty over whether Latin America had the right motivation to move closer to the United States.

“It is always difficult to find consensus in Latin America,” said Ryan Berg, a Washington – based think tank. “It’s a very different area, it’s hard to speak with one voice.”

On a tumultuous diplomatic day, Biden met with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau Two government officials familiar with the plans told the Associated Press that they had agreed to move to Canada in the coming months. They did not have the authority to discuss the matter publicly and spoke anonymously.

Biden held talks with Brazilian President Jair Polzano. An ally of former President Donald Trump. Bolzano is running for a second term and is questioning the credibility of his country’s elections, officials have warned in Washington.

The crowd may have been as tense as the Brazilian leader asked According to three cabinet ministers of the Brazilian president, the US president did not speak to him about his election attacks and demanded that they not be named to discuss the matter.

In his inaugural address to the press, Biden acknowledged that “the key driver of our relationship is our people-to-people relationship.” He also said that Brazil has made some “real sacrifices” in protecting the Amazon.

Defending his country’s record on the Amazon, Palsanaro said, “We are a role model in the eyes of the world when it comes to the environmental agenda.” He said he was committed to defending democracy and hoped it would help improve peace in Russia after the Russian occupation.

During a full-day diplomacy, Vice President Kamala Harris met with Caribbean leaders and talked about pure energy, and First Lady Jill Biden arranged for a brunch to build relationships with fellow spouses. The day will end with dinner at Getty Villa, an art museum overlooking the Pacific Ocean.

The nature of democracy became a sticky point when planning the guest list for the event. Mexican President Andrs Manuel Lopez Obrador wanted the leaders of Venezuela, Cuba and Nicaragua invited, but opposed because the United States saw them as dictators.

In the end, no agreement was reached and Lopez Obrador decided not to attendThe presidents of Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador have not done so.

The Russian occupation of Ukraine has led to closer cooperation in Europe, and China’s growing influence has shocked some countries in the region.

The ambiguous power inequality in the hemisphere is a challenge.

According to the World Bank, the US economy is 14 times bigger than Brazil’s second largest economy. Russia imposes sanctions on Brazil, which imports compost from Russia, by the United States and its allies. Trade data shows that the region has deep ties with China and has also made investments.

This allows the United States to show Latin America why a closer relationship with Washington would be more beneficial in a situation where economies are still struggling to recover and inflation is deteriorating.

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Washington Book Report. Associated Press writers Brasilia, Deborah Alvarez in Brazil, Rob Gillies in Toronto, Canada and Elliott Spagot in Los Angeles contributed to this report.