The spokeswoman for the US presidency admitted that it was not possible for Joe Biden’s envoy to meet Bukele, but said this in no way diminishes the success of the diplomat’s trip to El Salvador.
This morning, at the daily press conference backing White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki to the media, she was asked about Joe Biden’s envoy’s visit to El Salvador and the impact President Nayib Bukele may have had by not doing it.
Psaki confirmed the information, stating that “you are right, the special envoy Zúñiga was in El Salvador and did not meet with the president.”
However, he believes that this does not cloud the rest of the trip and the meetings the diplomat held during his short two-day visit to the country.
SEE ALSO: US Government CICIES Can Fight Corruption
“He had productive meetings with the Secretary of State (Alexandra Hill) and other senior officials such as the Attorney General, representatives of the Organization of American States (OAS), members of civil society and the private sector.” said the White House spokeswoman.
Indeed, during his visit, Zúñiga emphasized the importance of the fight against corruption and the misuse of state resources. This happened at meetings with representatives of civil society organizations fighting for transparency, as well as at meetings with heads of state who monitor the use of public funds and at a high-level meeting with the Attorney General and the head of the CICIES. Ronalth Ochaeta.
SEE ALSO: “We asked for a meeting (with Bukele) and we did not receive it, it did not come”: Ricardo Zúñiga, Biden envoy
At this latest meeting, Ricardo Zúñiga pledged $ 2 million to support CICIES and stated that they have confidence in this model of international support for local institutions to prevent, prosecute, prosecute and punish corruption. This is in line with the Biden Plan for Central America, which aims to reduce irregular migration by addressing its causes, one of which is the redirection of public resources towards private interests.
Faced with doubts as to whether the CICIES is trustworthy due to its proximity to the executive branch and the OAS complacent towards Bukele, the Biden envoy stated that he believes we must continue to bet on the institution’s financial independence and autonomy for its role in preventing corruption. to checkers.
“A productive journey”
The White House spokeswoman believes Zúñiga’s visit was productive. “These meetings, we believe, lay the foundation for building on a bilateral dialogue at all levels with that government, which is already strong. And we will continue from here ”, said Psaki.
When asked about the possibility of having a strong dialogue without President Bukele’s presence, she replied that she does not believe that the Salvadoran President’s absence from Zúñiga’s agenda will be a sign that he will not be attending in the bilateral relationship.
“Solo did not meet Ricardo Zúñiga while in El Salvador during his trip,” he said, but stressed that the agenda was productive and positive.
Unlike Guatemala
While Washington has downplayed this meeting, Zúñiga’s trip to El Salvador is in stark contrast to the visit he made to Guatemala over the next two days.
His first meeting was with President Alejandro Giammattei, and he met numerous cabinet members, something he himself emphasized as a sign of goodwill at a press conference on Tuesday, April 6, along with Guatemalan Foreign Minister Pedro Brolo.
The apparent cordiality of the Guatemalan government looks very different from the Salvadoran president’s silence on Zúñiga’s visit and the lack of coverage that the presidency’s communications apparatus made of this visit.
This silence coincides with the increasing and systematic pressure that Washington is exerting on Bukele for his authoritarian style of government and for evidence of alleged corruption in his administration, particularly while limiting the effects of COVID-19.