After the uninvited trip, Bukele’s requests to meet with the State Department and an official of President Joe Biden were rejected, a Washington source confirmed to El Diario de Hoy.
The President of the Republic, Nayib Bukele, was in Washington DC a week before, where he sought meetings with the State Department, equivalent to the United States Secretary of State, and with Juan González, senior adviser to the National Security Council for the White House. Western Hemisphere.
Requests to meet with the State Department and this official from President Joe Biden were rejected.
SEE: US Congressmen urge Bukele to stay away from political violence speeches
This was confirmed for El Diario de Hoy by a Washington source with direct information from President Biden’s team, who added that Bukele only managed to organize a meeting with the Secretary General of the Organization of American States (OAS), Luis Almagro .
In a recent interview with El Faro, the White House chief adviser for the hemisphere said that “the leader who is not ready to fight corruption will not be an ally for the United States.” He also said that the Biden administration has “differences with the Bukele government”, referring to its democratic record.
The source close to the White House consulted by El Diario de Hoy said that the rejection of Bukele’s request for a meeting and González’s interview send a fairly clear message: “The rule of law, compliance with the basic rules in a democracy will be important for the administration. Biden based on these principles and not on ideology “.
He also explained that Biden officials do not want to be manipulated and that the meetings were used for electoral gains ahead of the February 28 elections.
This reaction is in line with the US government’s approach, which it says will place a strong emphasis on democracy and the fight against corruption in order to work with its Central American allies. And the Democratic congressmen, Biden’s supporters, have repeatedly expressed their condemnation of the blows to the institutions and the persecution of journalists by the Bukele government.
MEPs react
Salvadoran lawmakers René Portillo Cuadra of ARENA and Cristina Cornejo of FMLN reacted to Bukele’s truncated intention to hold meetings with Joe Biden government officials.
“We learned that the president (Bukele) paid a visit to the United States who was not invited and that there was guidance that was not received until his attitude changed. We must remember that the president belongs to all Salvadorans.” Cornejo said.
According to the parliamentarian, the attention attracts the attention that Bukele received in a letter sent by several American congressmen They stress to the president that he must give up his “hate, persecution and confrontation” speeches that have already resulted in deaths, referring to the deaths of two FMLN militants in an election caravan.
“As members of Congress, we know very well what can happen when political leaders respond to signs of violence with messages that promote chaos, misinformation, division and fear,” said Democrats Norma Torres and Albio Sires.
“I like these calls for attention and we hope that the President of the Republic will pay attention at least to the international authorities, because he does not want to pay attention to Salvadorans, nothing is done with violence, we saw that violence that generates division, hatred and death and we will continue to we insist on changing that reality, “Cornejo said.
For his part, Portillo Cuadra agreed with Cornejo, stating that they have information that in the last hours Bukele left for the United States, but was not received, due to the rhetoric that the president has shown since he took over the reins of the Salvadoran. government in June 2019.
“President Bukele paid a visit to Washington in the last hours without being invited to the United States, none of the congressmen, none of the members of the Biden administration cabinet received him, precisely because he is classified as a president who encourages hatred, promotes division, disrespect for institutions and the rule of law, disrespect for journalists and the opposition, and that has meant that he has no acceptance in political circles in Washington, “said Portillo Cuadra.
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