LOS ANGELES: President Joe Biden’s plans to reboot US engagement with Latin America — especially over critical topics like migration — took a major hit after key partner Mexico snubbed a regional summit opening on Monday in Los Angeles to protest the exclusion of three far-left countries.

What was meant to be a week-long showcase of cooperation looks more likely to become a display of division that reflects diminishing clout over a region where long-time US economic and diplomatic influence faces a growing Chinese challenge.

Confirming it was not inviting Cuba, Nicaragua and Venezuela to the Summit of the Americas, a senior White House official cited “reservations regarding the lack of democratic space and the human rights situations.” In response, Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said he would stay away.

“You cannot have a Summit of the Americas if you do not have all the countries of the Americas attending,” Lopez Obrador announced, complaining of US “hegemony” and “lack of respect for nations.” Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard will represent Mexico instead, but the leftist populist leader’s absence will diminish the impact of a summit where US-Mexico relations are at the heart of major immigration and trade issues.

The senior US official did not directly respond to Lopez Obrador’s boycott, saying only that “the United States recognises and respects the position of allies in support of inclusive dialogue.” The official also said non-governmental representatives from Cuba, Nicaragua and Venezuela would be present.

In Havana, the communist Cuban government issued a statement calling Biden’s decision “anti-democratic and arbitrary.”

Published in Dawn,June 7th, 2022