He has the key to improve relations in America, AMLO expresses to Biden

Emir Olivares, Alonso Urrutia and Fernando Camacho

Newspaper La Jornada
Tuesday, January 10, 2023, p. 5

The two friends met again. On this occasion, the setting was the historic National Palace. Presidents Andrés Manuel López Obrador and Joseph R. Biden Jr. sealed the ties that unite the two nations and outlined a joint agenda where each one put their priorities on the table as part of bilateral cooperation.

Preamble to the tenth Summit of North American Leaders, began with the reception given by the host to his guest in the Courtyard of Honor of the venue. A meeting –to which the Prime Minister of Canada, Justin Trudeau, will join this Tuesday– that takes place just within the framework of the bicentennial of mutual relations that had a deferential gesture from Biden, since it is the first visit of the American to a nation of Latin America.

At the beginning they were accompanied by their wives, Beatriz Gutiérrez and Jill Biden. The clock almost marked 4:30 in the afternoon and the program was fully fulfilled (welcome, official photo and national anthems), when unexpectedly for this type of official ceremonies, the speaker announced that the companions of the presidents would give a message. Freedom, education, fight against poverty and racism, family, love and respect became patented in a joint vision.

They withdrew to fulfill an agenda of their own. They headed for a tour of the historic building and a long private exchange in the Hispano-American Hall, which resulted in a delay of almost 45 minutes for the start of the United States-Mexico bilateral meeting. Mismatch in the agenda that allowed the delegations of both governments extensive corridor talks that served to update the Americans, particularly John Kerry, on the rich national history with memories that reached Teotihuacan.

The start of the bilateral complied with the protocols. López Obrador and Biden were located in the places that had been reserved for them, right in the center of an extensive table, facing each other, placed in the imposing Ambassadors Hall. Welcome home, President Biden. You are our friend and the American people are too. We are neighboring towns and sister townssaid the Mexican president.

Biden returned the praise in the same vein: Well mister president, friend. It is a pleasure to join you again at this tenth Summit of North American Leaders in Mexico City. Last month we celebrated 200 years of bilateral relations with Mexico, and looking back and looking back at our shared history, it is clear that if we are more secure, we will work better together. Mexico is a true partner and when we work together with common values ​​and mutual respect there is nothing we cannot do..

He listened calmly – with the help of the instant translator – to the vision of López Obrador for the integration of all of America and to achieve the dream of the liberator Simón Bolívar, of unity for the entire hemisphere. “There are many of us who have not stopped dreaming of a fair and fraternal integration between all the peoples and countries of our continent (…) that together we go in search of the beautiful utopia of freedom, equality and true democracy”.

Biden gave a slight smile as his host stated: You have the key to open and substantially improve relations between all the countries of the American continent.

When taking the floor, the leader of the United States did not leave out a central point of his administration: to end the fentanyl plaguewhich has so far killed 100,000 Americans.

Prime Minister Trudeau and his wife Sophie Grégoire – who landed at noon at the Felipe Ángeles International Airport – were already waiting somewhere in the National Palace when the work in Mexico and the United States concluded. It was past seven at night.

Dinner without spicy

An exclusive dinner for the three heads of state and their wives closed the day. They tasted a varied menu made up of Mexican products with a touch of haute cuisine. Although, in attention to the guests, the main course tried not to contain spicy or too many spices.

puffed tortilla based on Creole corn, accompanied with avocado, cooked corn and fresh cheese was the entry; you could not miss a milpa soup -of peasant origin- as a second course; The main dish was presented in two options to choose from: fish fillet with pumpkin flower sauce, rice with chipilín and steamed vegetables or beef steak with artichoke sauce, yucca cream and Creole pumpkin.

The dessert was gluten-free: tamale filled with chocolate or meringue with Creole guava cream; and very national drinks: mineral or natural water, matlalín water (blue herb in Nahuatl, native to López Obrador’s home state, Tabasco) and mandarin orange with a touch of mint, Mexican red and white wine, Pluma coffee produced in Hidalgo and a variety of teas and infusions.

The guests left around nine at night, surrounded by their security teams. They will return this morning to the National Palace, since the work of the summit still has to be covered.

Operating near hotel

On the eve of the start of the conclave, the surroundings of the hotel where Biden is staying in Polanco woke up yesterday with a security operation that restricted vehicular and pedestrian access to the building, but did not hinder traffic in the area too much.

The accesses to several surrounding streets were guarded by private guards, who liaised with local police and agents of the United States Secret Service, who in the end was the one who took charge of all movements abroad and logistics in the National Palace, displacing to the usually obstinate Assistant to the Presidency, in charge of the integrity of the Mexican president.

Biden’s departure towards the Historic Center was guarded by several vans of his security and behind them were escorting capital policemen on motorcycles.