The spokeswoman for the US presidency admitted that it was not possible for Joe Biden’s envoy to meet with Bukele, but said this did not obscure the success of the diplomat’s trip to El Salvador.
This morning, at the daily press conference that White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki is holding with the media, she was asked about Joe Biden’s envoy’s visit to El Salvador and the impact the president may have. Nayib Bukele did not receive it.
Psaki confirmed the fact and stated that “you are right, the special envoy Zúñiga was in El Salvador and did not meet with the president.”
However, he considers that this does not cloud the rest of the trip and the meetings that the diplomat held during his brief two-day visit to the country.
SEE ALSO: U.S. government is confident that CICIES can fight corruption
“He had productive meetings with the Secretary of State (Alexandra Hill) and other high-ranking officials such as the Attorney General, representatives of the Organization of American States (OAS), members of civil society and the private sector. , among others, “the White House spokeswoman said.
Indeed, during his visit Zúñiga emphasized the importance of the fight against corruption and the abuse of state resources. He did this during meetings with representatives of civil society organizations fighting for transparency, but also in meetings with heads of state institutions that control the use of public resources and in a high-level meeting with the Attorney General and the head of the CICIES, Ronalth Ochaeta.
SEE ALSO: “We ask for a meeting (with Bukele) and we don’t receive it, it didn’t materialize”: Ricardo Zúñiga, envoy of Biden
At this last meeting, Ricardo Zúñiga pledged $ 2 million in support to the CICIES and stated that they rely on this model of international support for local institutions to prevent, prosecute, prosecute and punish corruption. This is consistent with the Biden Plan for Central America, which seeks to reduce irregular migration by addressing its causes and one of these is the diversion of state funds to private interests.
Faced with doubts about whether the CICIES is reliable for its proximity to the Executive and an OAS compliant with Bukele, Biden’s envoy stated that he believes that it is necessary to continue betting on financial independence and autonomy of the institution because play its part in containing corruption.
“A productive journey”
The White House spokeswoman believes Zúñiga’s visit was productive. “These meetings, in our view, lay the groundwork for building on a bilateral dialogue at all levels with this administration and that is already strong. And we will continue from here,” Psaki said.
When asked about the possibility of having a strong dialogue without the presence of President Bukele, she replied that she did not believe that the absence of the Salvadoran president on Zúñiga’s agenda would be a sign that she would not be present at the bilateral relationship.
“He just didn’t meet with Ricardo Zúñiga when he was in El Salvador on his trip,” he said, but stressed that the agenda was productive and positive.
Contrast with Guatemala
Although Washington has downplayed this meeting, Zúñiga’s trip to El Salvador contrasts sharply with his visit to Guatemala on the two immediately inland days.
His first meeting was with President Alejandro Giammattei, and he met with numerous members of the cabinet, which he himself highlighted as a sign of goodwill at a press conference on Tuesday, April 6, alongside of the Guatemalan chancellor, Pedro Brolo.
The apparent cordiality of the Guatemalan government looks very different from the Salvadoran president’s silence about Zúñiga’s visit and the lack of coverage that the presidency’s communications apparatus made of that visit.
This silence coincides with the growing and systematic pressure from Washington on Bukele for his authoritarian style of governing and for signs of alleged corruption in his administration, particularly during the containment of the effects of VOCID-19.