Tegucigalpa, Honduras.
Honduras hopes with outspoken optimism that the administration of new president of the United States Joe Biden will strengthen cooperation Alliance for Prosperity of the Northern Triangle, appoint a new Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Tegucigalpa and strengthen cooperation in the fight against corruption, drug trafficking and criminal networks operating out of the region.
Some of these points were part of the campaign commitment of the forty-sixth president of the United States and are expected to materialize in the first year of his tenure as head of the White House, beginning tomorrow, Wednesday, January 20.
Newly chosen, Biden promised increase by $ 4 billion the cooperation for the Northern Triangle of Central America, which make up Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador, to address the causes of the mass migration of citizens from these three countries to the United States via the migrating caravans.
“The president’s campaign proposal is to refocus on the roots of immigration in the Northern Triangle by investing 4,000 million over four years (…) Those 4,000 million over four years will come from diverting funds or from alienating the priorities of the government budget in favor of the countries of the region, ”said Juan González in a recent interview with EFE, Biden’s campaign advisor.
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He said that every dollar invested will help fight gangs in El Salvador, fight corruption and create economic opportunities for marginalized communities in El Salvador. Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador.
alliance
In this regard, Lisandro Rosales, Honduras’ Secretary of External Relations, told LA PRENSA newspaper that they receive Biden’s proposal to increase aid to the region by more than $ 4,000 million through the Alliance for Prosperity with great hope.
“(We see it) with hope, we are clear that any action aimed at improving the living conditions of our fellow countrymen, to create an inclusive country where social inequalities are reduced, is conducive to taking important steps to discourage migration. erratic, especially now that we have again been hit by the hydrometeorological phenomena Eta and Iota, which cause economic backwardness, at a time when the country maintained fiscal stability suitable for continue the development process, ”he said.
He reported that progress has been made in Alliance for Prosperity Plan, and in accordance with the schedule made by the teams of both countries, it will continue with the next administration.
He said that $ 92 million is currently being implemented in gender-based programs for women entrepreneurs and 400 million more in energy infrastructure generation, tourism and other sectors vital to the country’s development.
Rosales emphasized that to date about $ 1 billion in loans with facilities has been received through the International Development Finance Corporation (DFC), in partnership with the private sector, to fund vital projects to generate a structure that fosters development in the country, creating opportunities that provide families with an economic income and change their living conditions.
New ambassador
Regarding the nomination of a new ambassador to the country, the Honduran Secretary of State trusted that, as in 37 other countries where President Donald Trump’s administration was unable to appoint its heads of mission, the new U.S. administration would new representative in Tegucigalpa. He acknowledged, however, that “it will depend on the US Congress, remember the President is making the proposal and will have to await the decision of Congressmen.”
The United States has not appointed an ambassador to Honduras since June 2017, when then-diplomat James Nealon fulfilled his mission in the country. Since then, the US diplomatic mission has been led by charge d’affaires Heide B.
Fulton and currently Colleen Hoey.
Carlos López Contreras, Former Secretary of State and former Honduras agent before the International Court of Justice in The Hague, he trusted that the Biden government will appoint its new head of mission with all ambassador credentials; although he clarified that the diplomatic mission has not gone adrift as it is headed by Charge d’Affaires who have held other very important positions in their country’s diplomatic service upon return to the US.
Contreras contextualized that the Donald Trump administration failed to crystallize all of its diplomatic goals, and the fact that Honduras has not had an extraordinary and plenipotentiary ambassador is not an isolated case, as there are many countries where no ambassador was also appointed but are in charge of their Business managers. “It is expected that at the level of heads of state, a relationship will be established with the new government through a new ambassador to be chosen by the new president (Joe Biden),” said the veteran Honduran diplomat.
On another topic, he felt that, given President Biden’s experience and background in dealing with the Northern Triangle problem, it is highly likely that he will give a strong boost to the Alliance for Prosperity to overcome the wave of immigration. to United States of America
He recalled that this immigration issue had been on the US agenda for 50 years, at the time because of the expansion of communism, but now because of the presence of drugs, gangs and the extortion of criminal groups that are fleeing thousands of people into their territory. Contreras also believed that multinational cooperation is necessary to address the problem of drug trafficking in Central America and Mexico.
In this sense, he felt that the US policy for the Northern Triangle (Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador) will undoubtedly strive to stabilize these countries to gain greater control and that their courts and prisons work and also the deterrent to extradition ”.
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Biden’s ambitious plan for Central America TEGUCIGALPA. President Joe Biden’s plan to strengthen the security and prosperity of the peoples of Central America aims to develop a comprehensive four-year $ 4 billion regional strategy to address the factors driving migration from Central America, private mobilize investment in the region, enhance security and rule of law, tackle endemic corruption and prioritize poverty reduction and economic development. “The challenges that await us are enormous. But if the political will exists, there is no reason why Central America cannot become the next big success story in the Western Hemisphere, ”said Biden when presenting his project for the region. As president, Biden pledged to renew the US commitment to address the root causes of migration with an integrated $ 4 billion four-year regional strategy. This strategy finds that countries are allocating a significant amount of their own resources and are implementing important, concrete and verifiable reforms; putting the fight against corruption at the heart of the United States’ policy in Central America, direct investment from the private sector, including through public-private partnerships, to complement government funds, mainly investing in civil society organizations at the forefront of addressing root causes of migration and renewed efforts to engage constructively with, among others, Mexico, Canada and other regional partners in Central and South America. . |