U.S. excludes Cuba, Venezuela, Nicaragua from Americas summit-sources
June 6, 2022
12:10 AM CDT
Last Updated 38 min ago
By Matt Spetalnick and Dave Graham
3 minute read
WASHINGTON/MEXICO CITY, June 5 (Reuters) - The Biden administration has made a final decision to exclude the governments of Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua from the Summit of the Americas, people familiar with the matter said, despite threats from Mexico’s president to skip the gathering unless all countries in the Western Hemisphere were invited.
The decision, which followed weeks of intense deliberations, risks an embarrassing boycott of the U.S.-hosted gathering this week in Los Angeles if Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador and some other leaders choose not to show up.
U.S. officials determined that concerns about human rights and lack of democracy in the three countries, Washington’s main antagonists in Latin America, weighed too heavily against inviting them, a Washington-based source said late on Sunday.
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Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel said last month he would not go even if invited, accusing the U.S. of “brutal pressure” to make the summit non-inclusive. Cuba attended the past two summits.
More:
https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/us-excludes-cuba-venezuela-nicaragua-americas-summit-sources-2022-06-06/