Natasha Niebieskikwiat
07/31/2021 17:41
Clarín.com
Politics
Updated 07/31/2021 6:00 PM
Jake Sullivan, one of the most important men at the top of the White House, will arrive this week in Argentina.
Sullivan has confirmed meetings with the Secretary of Strategic Affairs Gustavo Beliz - who is his counterpart - and Foreign Minister Felipe Solá, who on Friday
received a letter from his peer, Antony Blinken.
He would also see the President, Alberto Fernández.
The letter had been written on July 8, but the Americans sent it to Buenos Aires yesterday to confirm the trip of Sullivan, whose full name is Jacob Jeremiah.
The official participated at the top of Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign in 2016 and is also one of the men who negotiated the nuclear agreement between Barack Obama and other powers with Iran in 2015 and who was later terminated by Donald Trump.
Sullivan is the top boss of Colombian Juan González, Biden's adviser who was here in early April.
The letter that Secretary of State Antony Blinken sent to Foreign Minister Felipe Solá, prior to the arrival in Buenos Aires of the White House National Security Advisor, Jake Sullivan
Blinken's letter refers to the issues he discussed with Solá at the meeting they had in Matera, Italy, a few weeks ago, during the G20 summit. And, from the shipment this Friday to the Foreign Ministry, it presumably contains issues that Sullivan will discuss here:
climate change, human rights, pandemic, and the strengthening of regional security and democracy.
When Juan González came to the country, he also emphasized the US mistrust in the strategic relationship that China and Russia were building in some Latin American countries such as Argentina.
Clarín
learned that Sullivan had already informed the ambassador in Washington Jorge Argüello that he would be in Argentina on
Thursday, August 5.
The newspaper O'Globo said this Saturday that his
tour in the region will include Brazil, Mexico, Chile and Peru,
a sign of rapprochement with Pedro Castillo.
The relationship between the Alberto Fernández government and the Biden administration is still under construction.
Despite considering themselves allies on various issues - such as climate change and multilateralism - they maintain important
differences
over regional politics and security.
Without going any further on Friday, during another of his participations in the Puebla Group,
Fernández strongly questioned the United States
about its role in the Organization of American States.
It was when he attacked once again the secretary general of the organization, Luis Almagro - a target of criticism from some countries within the framework of a deep regional rift - that Fernández questioned
"also the institutionality of the United States of having supported a man like Almagro ".
Alberto Fernández lashed out on Friday against the Secretary General of the OAS, Luis Almagro and against the United States for supporting him.
In the photo with the recently assumed president of Peru, Pedro Castillo, and Foreign Minister Felipe Solá.
Sullivan travels this week to meet Castillo
On the
other hand, the
United States faces a sort of regional rebellion by the crisis in Cuba.
Except Jair Bolsonaro from Brazil, and Ivan Duque, in Colombia, most of the American countries have
not joined recent statements condemning the repression in Cuba
against the protests of July 11 last throughout the island.
On the contrary, even the governments that are critical of the Cuban regime are
first demanding the end of the embargo on the island.
Democrats are aware.
Last week, Argentina, allied to Mexico and Bolivia and the Caribbean countries (CARICOM), turned to the United States and Almagro a debate on the situation in Cuba within the Permanent Council of the OAS, whose motion he had presented almost alone on Uruguayan government.
There are several regional issues in which there are differences between Washington and Buenos Aires.
Here they expected a turn from Biden in foreign policy towards conflictive issues in the region but found continuity with Donald Trump.
Fernández and Solá toughened their position against the dictatorship of Daniel Ortega, but in the OAS they stand in abstention from condemning Nicaragua.
They also refuse in the American space to condemn the crimes of Chavismo and continue to bet on the delayed Venezuelan dialogue with the opposition.
While Solá met in Mexico with Jorge Arreaza, Nicolás Maduro's foreign minister to talk about it, Alberto Fernández greeted him in a section of Pedro Castillo's announcement in Peru.
The United States has just donated to Argentina a batch of 3.5 million Modern vaccines against the coronavirus that seek to counteract the previous purchases that the Government chose in Russia and China.
Ambassador Argüello negotiates with Minister Carla Vizzotti the purchases that will finally be made to Pfizer and more donations.
In economic matters, Minister Martín Guzmán says he is negotiating with the IMF a program to refinance the debt.
The US has called for a "solid program."
And a recent report from the State Department on the Argentine economy - which is fed by businessmen who will surely also see Sullivan this week - pointed out that the Argentine economy suffers from "high inflation", "uncertainty" and "interventionism."
