At the North American Leaders Summit in Washington on Thursday, Cuba and energy have become potentially controversial issues. President Lopez Obrador will meet with U.S. President Joe Biden and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Duo met face-to-face for the first time since taking office at the end of 2018.
US officials said that the national protests scheduled for Monday were suppressed before Cuba, and energy integration will be put on the agenda at the White House summit, the first summit between the leaders of three countries in North America. 2016.
According to a senior U.S. official who asked not to be named, Biden will ask Lopez Obrador and Trudeau to join forces with the U.S. and ask the Cuban government to respect those seeking greater opportunities in the Caribbean island countries. free people.
The "March of Citizen Change" planned on Monday - Cubans who oppose the government intend to protest the lack of freedom under Communist rule and continue to build on the momentum of mass demonstrations in July - failed because Cuban security forces prevented dissidents from leaving their homes Take to the streets.
Biden’s national security adviser said in a statement on Monday that the Cuban regime “predictably deployed a set of severe imprisonment penalties, sporadic arrests, intimidation tactics and denials, all of which are trying to suppress the voice of the Cuban people.”
"...The actions of the Cuban regime failed to respect the civil and political rights enumerated in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the international human rights treaties ratified by Cuba, including the right to peaceful assembly and association, the right to freedom of opinion and expression, and freedom from arbitrary arrest and detention Or freedom of exile," Jack Sullivan added.
The United States’ attempt to gain support from neighboring countries to pressure Cuba is unlikely to be welcomed by Lopez Obrador. He has repeatedly expressed support for the Cuban government and received Miguel Diaz as a VIP- President Carnell at this year's independence celebration.
He also criticized the US embargo against Cuba. Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard stated at the UN General Assembly in September that “the end of the economic embargo against Cuba is imminent”.
"You can't kill Cubans who decide to stay in Cuba," Lopez Obrador said Monday. "I am opposed to the blockade, I think it is inhumane. No one has the right to make people rebel against their government through these practices," he said.
Conflicting views on energy policy may trigger another flashpoint at the summit on Thursday. López Obrador (López Obrador) submitted a constitutional bill to Congress in October to reform the rules of the electricity market to ensure that the state-owned Federal Electricity Commission has a 54% share.
The proposed reforms will deal a major blow to private and foreign power companies operating in Mexico and may undermine the future of private investment in the industry, but U.S. Ambassador Ken Salazar has criticized this, despite his criticism last week. Express the cautious belief that the two companies can reach a mutually agreed solution.
Lopez Obrador said last week that he did not expect the power reforms he proposed to be a topic of discussion in Washington, but Brian Nichols, Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs of the United States, said the energy issue will be brought up. Agenda.
"I don't want to fully preview the president's meeting, but I will say that there will be extensive discussions on integrating the North American supply chain, labor issues [and] to ensure that we continue to make progress in North American energy integration," he told the U.S. House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee on Tuesday.
"[These] are some examples of USMCA issues [to be discussed]," Nichols said, referring to the North American Free Trade Agreement that entered into force last July.
American companies condemned the Mexican government’s energy policies and plans, including the proposed power reforms and oil sector reforms, arguing that they violated the USMCA.
The American Petroleum Association, the largest US oil lobbying group, wrote to the US government twice earlier this year, asking it to urge the Mexican government to comply with its trade agreement commitments and treat investors and exporters in the US oil sector fairly.
Canadian companies and the Canadian ambassador to Mexico also expressed concerns about Mexico’s energy sector policies and plans. In short, these policies and plans are designed to give the country greater control at the expense of private and foreign companies.
Although issues related to Cuba and energy may cause discord, Thursday’s trilateral meeting-the first gathering of the so-called "three friends" in five years-will focus more on common ground and cooperation, and It is not a matter of dividing the country.
In a statement last week, the White House stated that the two countries will reaffirm their strong ties and integration during the summit, “and at the same time open up a new path for cooperation to end the COVID-19 pandemic and promote health security; competitiveness and fairness. Growth, including climate change; and the regional vision of migration."
Foreign Minister Ebrard stated that the main issues that Mexico will raise are development cooperation in southern Mexico and Central America, “regional economic integration to promote investment in our country”, preparations for the next pandemic, and “how to develop cooperation in 2022 and A fair economic recovery will be achieved in 2023". "
Report from El País and Reforma
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