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Summit
of the Americas Held in Mexico |
Posted:
01.12.03
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President George Bush will have to defend recent trade and security
policies at the Summit of the Americas this week, a two-day meeting
of 34 North and Latin American leaders hosted by Mexican President
Vicente Fox.
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For President Bush, the
meeting is a chance to rekindle his relationship with some Latin
American leaders, who feel the United States has neglected their
concerns for more pressing matters in Iraq and the Middle East.
 Controversial
items that are on the meeting agenda include a free trade agreement
that would open trade in the region between Alaska and Argentina,
and a plan to oust corrupt countries from the Organization of
the Americas, a group of 35 Latin American and Caribbean countries.
Leaders will also discuss terrorism and security and a bill proposed
by President Bush last week to offer temporary work permits to
the millions of illegal immigrants working in the United States.
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Improving
relations |
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While in Mexico, President Bush will have to overcome growing resentment
by many Latin Americans. When he took office in 2000, he promised
to improve relations with Mexico and focus on Latin American issues.
But the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, the war in Iraq and the "road
map" to Middle East peace have since put Latin America on the
back burner.
And though he has patched things up with President Fox by proposing
the immigration bill, which could affect millions of Mexicans,
he has angered Argentina by failing to step in during its recent
economic crisis. Venezuela is also not pleased with the United
States -- its government has accused the United States of having
ties to a coup attempt that threatened to overthrow its left-leaning
president, Hugo Chavez, in 2002.
Some feel that President Bush is focusing on Latin American issues
now to gain votes for his November 2004 reelection campaign.
 "The
administration has long had an interest in engaging Latin America,
but 9/11 got in the way," Miguel Diaz of the Center for Strategic
and International Studies in Washington told the Reuters news
service. "I think they are getting back into it, but for
self-serving reasons: the elections and the Hispanic vote."
Members of the Bush administration have denied such motivation.
"I think there's a perception or a line of argument out
there that somehow after 9/11 the United States lost interest
in anything that didn't relate to terrorism and 9/11," said
national security advisor Condoleezza Rice. "It's just not
true."
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Key players |
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President Bush is expected to meet with Brazilian President Luiz
Inacio Lula da Silva on Tuesday.
Da Silva is expected to bring up a new U.S. program called U.S.
VISIT, which requires visitors to the United States from most
foreign countries to be fingerprinted and photographed upon entering
the country. While visitors from 25 countries - mostly in Europe
- are exempt from the requirement, Brazil is not.
 The
measure angered President Da Silva, who called it a threat to
human rights and a violation of human dignity and promptly countered
by subjecting U.S. citizens to the same treatment at Brazilian
borders.
President Bush is also expected to meet with new Canadian Prime
Minister Paul Martin. Canada and the United States have been at
odds over Canada's decision not to send troops to Iraq.
This will be the fourth Summit of the Americas since 1994. Every
nation in the hemisphere takes part, except Cuba.
--
Kristina Nwazota, Online NewsHour
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American schools and financial aid should be only for legal citizens of the United States. There should be no exceptions to this.
