Washington Watch

Items

• 7 June 2007

  07 June 2007 Hits: 79

  IMMIGRATION: Senate debates bill

  POSADA CARRILES: US government makes appeal

  TERRORISM: FBI accuses Guyanese of terror plot

  VENEZUELA: US confronts Chávez over RCTV

  US ELECTION: Debate for Hispanics

  IMMIGRATION
  The Senate began debating the new immigration bill on 5 June, but the debate degenerated into partisan fighting when the Majority Leader, Harry Reid, tried to force a test vote on 7 June. He said, "This is a bill that will never, ever make a majority of the Republicans happy. It doesn't matter what we do. There are efforts made to stall this bill and when that happens, the only thing we can do is go by the Senate rules and procedures and move on." His tactic reflected the intense pressure on legislators to find a solution to the highly controversial issue, but Republicans said the deadline would squash debate. Several amendments to the bill, which is a broad compromise that would legalise 12 million illegal immigrants, tighten border security, create a guest worker programme and a new points system to assess would-be immigrants on their employability rather than family ties. Republican Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison of Texas wants all illegal immigrants to return home before getting temporary status, rather than just those seeking green cards as the bill states. The bill requires labourers to go home for a year between every two-year stint they work in the US, but Democrat Jeff Bingaman of New Mexico sought to allow them to stay for six consecutive years.

  POSADA CARRILES
  The US Justice Department appealed against the decision by Texan judge Kathleen Cordone to dismiss immigration fraud charges against Luis Posada Carriles, the anti-Castro militant who is wanted in Cuba and Venezuela in connection with the 1976 bombing of a Cuban airliner. Cardone said she had thrown out the case because Posada had been subjected to "a criminal investigation" during a citizenship interview which had been poorly translated by an interpreter and accused the US government of using the immigration case as a "pretext" for gathering evidence on Posada Carriles's alleged terrorist activities. Federal prosecutors filed their appeals notice with the 5th US Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans, which reviews federal cases in Texas.

  TERRORISM
  On 2 June the US authorities accused three Guyanese and one Trinidadian of plotting to blow up fuel tanks and pipelines at New York's John F Kennedy Airport. The Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) says the four men are Islamic extremists who belong to a Caribbean terrorist cell. The FBI claimed that two of those accused - Abdul Kadir and Abdel Nur - belonged to the Jamaat Al Muslimeen radical group which had disappeared after allegedly orchestrating a coup in Trinidad and Tobago in 1990. Kadir and Nur are both from Guyana. Kadir, a member of parliament until last year's elections and erstwhile mayor of Linden, was arrested by Trinidadian officials on 1 June at the island's international airport before he boarded a flight for Venezuela. Nur is still at large and thought to be hiding in Trinidad. The other two men are Kareem Ibrahim, a Trinidadian, and Russell DeFreitas, a naturalised US citizen originally from Guyana. The FBI claims that DeFreitas, who used to work at JFK airport, told one of its informants about the plot and said it would be bigger than 9/11. The four men reportedly started plotting the attack in January 2006 but had not yet acquired any explosives.

  VENEZUELA
  On 4 June the US Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice, called for the Organization of American States (OAS) to investigate Venezuela for a possible breach of the OAS charter. The confrontation between the US and Venezuela over the cancellation of RCTV's broadcast licence dominated proceedings at the OAS annual meeting in Panama which should have been focused on energy issues. No other OAS member followed the US's lead. Jorge Valero, Venezuela's ambassador to the OAS, said that his government had won a diplomatic victory because of absence of the RCTV issue from the final communiqué of the OAS's XXXVII general assembly. This was either because the US failed to push the issue when the communiqué was being drafted or because it could not get support from the rest of OAS members to push the RCTV issue.

  US ELECTION
  The largest Spanish television channel in the US, Univisión, has suggested inviting the Republican and Democrat presidential candidates to participate in a televised debate that will be conducted entirely in Spanish for the first time. As only two of the aspirants to the presidency speak fluent Spanish, namely Bill Richardson the Democrat governor of New Mexico and Senator Chris Dodd from Connecticut, simultaneous translators would be on hand for the candidates and audience. A spokesman from the channel said that, "Hispanics will represent a crucial role in the presidential elections and Univisión is excited about the possibility of organising this historic act."

• 28 June 2007

  28 June 2007 Hits: 68

  BOLIVIA: Goldberg bemoans lack of coca eradication

  COLOMBIA: US company investigated for paramilitary links

  IMMIGRATION: Senate bill clears first, and smallest, hurdle

  IMMIGRATION: Border Patrol gets new technology

  MEXICO: Governor to be extradited to US

  TRADE: Atpdea extended

  BOLIVIA
  The US Ambassador to Bolivia, Philip Goldberg, repeated his concern about the slow pace at which the Bolivian government is carrying out the eradication of coca crops. Speaking at the Bolivian foreign ministry during the presentation of the UN's World Drug Report, he said, "We have to ask ourselves if more or less eradication has been done in the last few years. We have to see if there is more cultivation of coca crops now because there is more foreign drug trafficking and more internal consumption. It is also necessary to do something against the cultivation of coca, not just against drug trafficking." With this statement he directly challenged President Evo Morales's preferred strategy of eradicating fewer crops and instead stepping up security efforts against drug trafficking.

  COLOMBIA
  Four witnesses have come forward in the US lawsuit against Drummond coal company to say that the company had links to Colombian paramilitaries. Drummond is based in Alabama. It is believed that Drummond may have paid the paramilitary group Autodefensas Unidas de Colombia (AUC), which is accused of killing three local union leaders, to fight guerrillas targeting the company's operations. The group is listed as a terrorist group by the US government. Under US law, it is illegal to deal financially with terrorist groups. Drummond is the latest company under investigation for paying paramilitaries in return for protection of company operations. Chiquita Brands International was fined $25 million in February 2007 for dealing with paramilitaries in Latin America.

  IMMIGRATION
  The Senate bill S.1639, sponsored by Senator Edward Kennedy (D-Mass), has survived to see another day after 64 members of the Senate (39 Democrats, 24 Republicans and one Independent) voted to resume debate on it on 26 June after a three-week break. The bill, supported by President George W. Bush, advocates increased border patrols as well as a guest worker programme and a path to citizenship for the estimated 12 million illegal workers in the US. However, the hurdle it cleared is easy compared to the gauntlet it will run this week; 26 proposed amendments before two more 60-vote hurdles on Thursday and Friday.

  Under this bill, US$4.4bn would be allocated to border security and worksite law enforcement. Fines for employers who are caught hiring illegal workers would be raised dramatically and a new Employment Eligibility Verification System would provide employers with greater resources to check for false identification documents. It would become more difficult or impossible for aliens with criminal records to enter the country.

  For illegal immigrants already in the United States, the bill would require them to pay a fine of US$1,000 and apply for a Z Visa. In order to receive a green card, Z Visa holders would have to pay another fine of US$4,000 and participate in a merit system to determine their contribution to the United States. For immigrants looking for work in the states, a Temporary Worker Program would be set up.

  IMMIGRATION
  The Department of Homeland Security has commissioned the US company Boeing to develop a 28-mile virtual fence along the border of Arizona and Mexico. So far, the project has missed its 13 June unveiling due to technical difficulties. Project 28 consists of nine towers equipped with radar and high-definition cameras 100 feet in the air. The federal government has a US$67m contract with Boeing for Project 28 and other projects that are part of the Secure Border Initiative. When the radars detect people within range, the cameras will transmit high-quality images of the subjects to field officers who can then question the persons. Wireless networks from camera to officer laptops would carry this information. The project is receiving criticism from members of Congress who point to the missed deadline as well as citizens who claim the towers invade their own privacy.

  MEXICO
  Mexico has jailed the former governor of Quintana Roo, Mario Villanueva Madrid, pending extradition to New York City. Villanueva is wanted on charges of drug trafficking, money laundering, and racketeering. He served time in Mexican prison from May 2001 to June 2007 for a money-laundering conviction. Indictments from the Manhattan Federal Court say that the Juárez cartel paid millions of dollars to Villanueva in exchange for the transfer and temporary storage of cocaine in Cancún in the state of Quintana Roo. The cocaine was eventually taken to New York as well as other cities in the US. Villanueva is also accused of using state police to protect traffickers. President Calderón has become increasingly aggressive in crackdowns on the drug trade between Mexico and the US as well as targeting alliances between local governments and drug cartels. By sending offenders to the US, they can face more restrictive sentences and will not be able to control their drug networks as easily. If extradited to the US, Villanueva will receive two charges that the Mexican courts had not convicted him of.

  TRADE
  The US House of Representatives approved an extension of eight months to the Andean Trade Promotion and Drug Eradication Act (Atpdea) on 27 June. Ecuador and Bolivia had hoped for an extension of at least two years. For Colombia and Peru it provides their exporters with "breathing room" while their governments continue in their efforts to secure bilateral free trade agreements with the US administration. Around 1.5 million jobs in the Andean region are dependent on Atpdea. According to the Democratic president of the Senate Ways and Means Committee, Charles Rangel, the extension should be ready for President George W. Bush to sign into law before 30 June, when the current agreement expires. Although the eight-month extension is longer than the last one of six months, it is much shorter than the two-year agreement Rangel had mooted last week at the start of the Senate committee's negotiations. Reports suggest that Chuck Grassley, the most senior Republican on the committee, had grave doubts over prolonging trade benefits to countries which "do not collaborate" with the international trade policies of the US.

• 5 July 2007

  06 July 2007 Hits: 68

  BOLIVIA: Goldberg admonishes government, again

  COLOMBIA: Farc Trials in the US

  IMMIGRATION: Bill collapses in Senate

  IMMIGRATION: New Citizenship Test

  TRADE: Colombia and US Free Trade Stalled by Democrats

  BOLIVIA
  Philip Goldberg, US Ambassador to Bolivia, told Bolivian government officials that he would not heed their requests for further probing into the case of a US citizen who arrived at La Paz airport with 5 boxes filled with 100 bullets last Wednesday. According to Goldberg, Donna Thi Dinh was bringing the bullets to Col. James Campbell at the US Embassy. La Paz airport officials held Dinh overnight, but released her the following day. President Evo Morales has spoken out against the US refusal to investigate Dinh's case further, and implied that the bullets may have been meant for malicious purposes. Goldberg maintains that Campbell meant to use them for target practice and training. According to La Prensa, Bolivian Minister of Defence, Walker San Miguel, said that Dinh had ignored the statutory law of the FAA, the Regulation of the Ministry of Defence on the use of explosives, and Customs Law. Goldberg has called Dinh's action “an administrative error and innocent." Of Bolivian officials' comments that the US must further investigate the case, Goldberg said “I believe they are unacceptable and outside the intention of maintaining good relations." Last week, Goldberg spoke against perceived Bolivian inaction in eradicating national coca production. He implied that that inaction was straining relations between Bolivia and the US.

  COLOMBIA
  On Tuesday, the Colombian government expressed disapproval over the US sentencing of FARC rebel Anayibe Rojas Valderrama with only 16 years and 8 months in jail on narcotics charges. Rojas, also known as “Sonia," was detained in Colombia in February 2004 and extradited to the US in March of 2005. She was kept on charges of producing, importing and distributing cocaine. The U.S. prosecutor on the case had asked the judge to punish Rojas with 55 to 60 years. Under the terms of the extradition treaty between the US and Colombia, Colombians cannot be sentenced to life imprisonment. However, the Colombian deputy justice minister Guillermo Reyes informed Judge Robertson the country would not question a long sentence. The judge justified his decision by considering Rojas' low level of education, rural childhood, and the fact that she had not participated in drug trafficking for personal benefit. Rojas could be released within 11 years since her sentence would recognize the time she has already spent in jail. Her lawyers are hoping for a reduction of two years for good behaviour.

  Some Colombian officials are expressing a similar sentiment of disappointment at the trial of FARC member Ricardo Palmera, also known as “Simón Trinidad." A jury at a US district court in Washington is expected to vote on the case this week. Palmera has been charged with conspiracy and kidnapping three US military contractors. Palmera was taken to court last year on the same charges, but the jury did not reach a unanimous vote. FARC had attempted to swap the US citizens for Palmera and Rojas, but the US refused. The prosecution's case is losing strength as Palmera is able to paint the FARC as a viable political movement. A key witness for the prosecution was Colombian police officer John Pinchao who had spent some time with the kidnapped Americans after he was taken by the FARC in 1998. He could not testify to ever having seen Palmera. As the case of Rojas, and possibly Palmera, shows, extradition to the US will not always translate into harsher sentences.

  IMMIGRATION
  Despite backing by the Bush administration, a proposed immigration reform bill failed to pass in the Senate last week. The bill, supported by President George W. Bush, advocated increased border patrols as well as a guest worker programme and a path to citizenship for the estimated 12 million illegal workers in the US. A majority of senators voted against ending the debate and moving the bill forward for a final vote. Sixty votes were needed for the bill to move on, but this received the support of only 46 senators. Fifty-three voted against ending debate on the bill.

  House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has said she will not pursue the immigration issue until the Senate passes a bill. Some legislators are trying to pass parts of the immigration bill. One such component is the “Ag jobs" measure, which proposes to legalise around 1m undocumented agricultural workers in the US. Another is the DREAM act, or Development Relief and Education for Minors Act, for illegal immigrants who arrived in the US with their families before they turned 16. Legislators who are hoping to individually pass components of immigration reform may face resistance, say several senators. Sen. Lindsey Graham (R- S.C) doubts that any package that does not deal with both border enforcement and amnesty will pass.

  IMMIGRATION
  The US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) have started a new pilot naturalisation test in 10 cities across the nation. According to USCIS, the test was redesigned to focus on “the concepts of democracy and the rights and responsibilities of citizenship." It is hoped that the new test will engage applicants in the process of “Americanization," rather than requiring them to simply memorize answers. Applicants at the designated test sites can volunteer to take the pilot test and have to answer 6 of 10 questions correctly. If applicants fail the pilot test, they have the option to take the current test. The pilot test consists of 142 history and government questions such as “What is an amendment?" or “Who is the Secretary of State now?" The first phase of the pilot test began early 2007 and has just ended in June. USCIS will analyse the results and refine any problems. The test will be implemented nationwide in spring of 2008. In the first five months of 2007, applications for citizenship have risen by 59% in the US compared to the same time frame last year. The surge in applications may be attributed to federal and state immigration reform debates, a rising application fee that will rise from $400 to $675 on 30 July, and the near implementation of the new test.

  TRADE
  Free trade agreements between Colombia and the U.S. continue to stall as congressional Democrats push for better labour and union conditions to be agreed upon. The Colombian Foreign Minister, Fernando Araújo, called for a quick revision to the agreement on Tuesday. Democrats are demanding to see improvement on efforts against violence, impunity, and paramilitary groups. Previously popular with the U.S. Congress, President Uribe faces opposition from the majority Democrats in Congress who demand more governmental attention to human rights. Democrats have also used their new power to reduce military aid to the South American country. Araújo commented on the stall; “In the last visit, we received the clear message that the problem with Colombia is not a problem with the Colombian reality but a problem of the perception that is had about Colombian reality."

• 12 July 2007

  12 July 2007 Hits: 90

  MEXICO: Volunteer Repatriation Program

  HONDURAS: President Zelaya visits Rice in Washington

  COLOMBIA: Simon Trinidad of Farc convicted

  ARGENTINA/CUBA: Rice speaks out

  REGION: President Bush urges Latin American countries to be open

  PANAMA: FTA ratified

  MEXICO
  A 4-year old volunteer repatriation program costing the US $15m restarted on 9 July with the deportation of 75 Mexicans from Tucson, Arizona to Mexico City. Mexicans attempting to illegally enter the US through the Arizona desert can volunteer to take one of two chartered flights leaving Tucson daily. Each summer, the US funds the program in order to reduce deaths of migrants in Southwestern deserts. In the past three years, more than 50,000 have volunteered. Officials believe that repatriation will reduce the number of migrants who reattempt to enter the US after being deported at the border. The Mexican National Institute of Migration (INM) reported on Monday that 210 Mexican have died this year attempting to enter the US illegally.

  HONDURAS
  President Manuel Zelaya arrived in Washington D.C. on Monday to visit US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and US Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte concerning immigration, security, and narcotics trafficking. Negroponte served as US ambassador to Honduras in the early 1980s. Zelaya and Rice spoke about Honduras' position as a pathway for drug and arms trafficking from Colombia to the US. US officials have agreed to study and report to President Bush on the security of the region. Zelaya would not comment on whether he and Rice breached the topic of selective deportation for the large population of illegal Honduran immigrants in the US.

  COLOMBIA
  Farc leader Ricardo Palmera, also known as Simon Trinidad, was convicted of conspiracy to commit hostage-taking. The jury was unable to reach an agreement on three separate charges of actual kidnapping (relate to each of the three US hostages), and one count of material support of a terrorist organisation. Trinidad still faces drug trafficking charges. For the conspiracy to kidnap charge Trinidad faces between 30 to 60 years in jail; although life sentences are applicable in this case, they are not permitted under the terms of the US-Colombia extradition treaty. On 10 July, Kenneth Kohl, prosecutor on the case, offered to demand a reduced sentence if the guerrilla group released its three US hostages.

  ARGENTINA/CUBA
  On 9 July, US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said that the US would not tolerate a dictator succeeding Castro. Cuba will be holding the first round of general elections on October 21 for representatives to Parliament and delegates to assemblies in municipalities and provinces. The National Electoral Commission was created on Monday and appointments were made on Tuesday. The same day, Rice reminded Argentines that the US was of greatest help during the latest economic crisis in the country. Rice advised that “short term solutions will not resolve problems in the long term." She emphasised that although the two countries have not always agreed, they will always have a good relationship.

  REGION
  At the White House Conference for the Americas on 9 July, President George Bush asked that Latin American governments be “honest, transparent, and open." Attendees were from 100 regional-based and 150 US-based organizations. This year's theme was “Advancing the Cause of Social Justice in the Americas." The White House outlined three initiatives the Bush administration has undertaken to advance social justice: “meeting basic healthcare needs, expanding economic opportunity, and investing in education." Bush expressed hope that the continent would be able to collaborate to improve health and education. He also said that trade is a tool that can be used to advance social justice and urged the US Congress to approve the pending free trade treaties with Peru, Panama, and Colombia. In her address, First Lady Laura Bush launched The Partnership for Breast Cancer Awareness and Research of the Americas.

  PANAMA
  On 11 July the Panamanian National Assembly ratified a free trade agreement with the US. Next, the agreement must be ratified by the US Congress. The agreement may meet opposition from the Democratic majority which demands strict labour codes to prevent child labour and provide for environmental conservation. The current US free trade policy guidelines require that Panama observe basic international labour standards, but the Democrats want more insurance that these standards will be met. Panamanian farmers and leftists opposed the deal. Enrique Athanasiadis, leader of the National Agricultural Organization, said “This agreement is a disaster for our products and it benefits the oligarchy."

• Washington Watch

  30 August 2007 Hits: 70

  Border wall: The governor of Texas, Rick Perry, agreed with Mexico's president, Felipe Calderón Hinojosa that the proposed wall along the border with Mexico was a bad idea. Perry told the Calderón, on a visit to Los Pinos, Calderón's official residence on 28 August, that he did not believe that the wall would improve security along the border. Perry said that his priority was to improve security. Perry also said that he supported immigration reform in the US.

  Extraditions: The US said that Mexico had broken its previous annual record for extraditions with the extradition of Hilario Larrago to the US on 28 August. Larrago is the 64th person to be extradited to the US this year. Antonio Garza, Mexico's ambassador to Mexico, said that the record was evidence of the increasingly close cooperation and coordination between the US and Mexican administrations. The most prominent extraditions in the past eight months have been of Osiel Cárdenas, the leader of the Golfo drug gang; Ismael and Gilberto Higuera (prominent gangsters in the Arellano Félix or Tijuana gang) and Jesús Héctor "El Güero" Palma from the Sinaloa gang. Of the 64, 52 are Mexicans.

  Immigration: Elvira Arellano, who was deported from the US on 19 August, asked President Felipe Calderón Hinojosa to give her a diplomatic visa to act as an ambassador for illegal Mexican immigrants in the US when she met him on 28 August. Arellano, herself an illegal immigrant, had been in sanctuary in a church in Chicago for a year before leaving at the beginning of August to campaign for immigrants' rights in Los Angeles where she was arrested and deported. Her eight year old son, Saúl, because he was born in the US, is a US citizen and remains in the US. Arellano's plight has been used by activists for immigration reform on both sides of the border to illustrate the oppressiveness of US policy. Anti-immigrant groups in the US say, correctly, that Arellano broke the law, knew the penalty and so deserved what happened to her.

  Cuba: A Cuban, Rafael Izquierdo, has gone to court in Miami to secure the return of his daughter from her potential adoptive parents in Florida. Izquierdo's wife, Elena Pérez, emigrated legally from Cuba to the US with Izquierdo's four-year old daughter and another child. On 28 August this child, a 13 year-old, went into the witness box to say that his mother, who has a history of psychological problems, used to scream at and beat his half-sister, (Izquierdo's daughter) and that he would do anything to remain in the US with his adoptive parents, who also want to adopt his half sister. Pérez wants Izquierdo to take their daughter back to Cuba.
  The case rekindles memories in both countries of Cuba's ultimately successful campaign to recover Elián González from the US in 2000. Elián was left alone in US when his mother was killed as she tried to make her way by raft to Miami. Elián's father, backed by the Cuban government, campaigned to take him back to Cuba.

• 23 August 2007

  29 October 2007 Hits: 191

  Immigration: The US authorities arrested and deported the prominent illegal immigrant Elvira Arellano on 20 August. On 15 August she left the sanctuary of a church in Chicago, where she had been living for a year. She had been campaigning for immigrants' rights in Los Angeles, where she was eventually arrested and deported to Tijuana. Her eight-year old son, Saúl, was born in the US, which means he can remain in the US. Arellano worked cleaning aeroplanes at O'Hare International Airport in Chicago, with a fake social security number. The Mexican foreign ministry said that the deportation of Arellano broke the spirit of bilateral agreements.

  Military aid: The Nafta summit in Canada on 20 and 21 August achieved little. Mexico's president Felipe Calderón told President George W. Bush that Mexico would not allow US soldiers to enter Mexico. The US wants to increase its anti-drugs aid to Mexico, and provide military advisers. Mexico wants US hardware, especially helicopters, and for the US to do more to prevent automatic weapons being sold by US dealers to organised criminals in Mexico.

  Restrictions to Cuban-Americans: Two Democrat hopefuls for the US presidency, Senators Christopher Dodd and Barack Obama, defended easing travel restrictions to Cuba. Both men also want to ease remittance restrictions, which became tougher under the current Republican administration. Dodd has started a petition for the government to ease travel restrictions to Cuban-Americans, who now can only visit relatives in the island once every three years. Obama, meanwhile, declared to the Miami-based newspaper El Nuevo Herald on 20 August that travel restrictions should be lifted altogether. He also said the Republican administration made a "huge strategic mistake" by restricting remittances to US$300 quarterly. Prior to 2004 Cuban-Americans could send US$3,000 annually to their relatives in Cuba. Obama seems to think that boosting US contact, aide and trade with Cuba will be more effective to promote democracy in the island than a tougher stance. The pollsters favourite Democrat hopeful, Senator Hilary Clinton, however, is against lifting the current restrictions. It is yet to be seen which stance will be more popular with Cuban-Americans, traditionally Republican voters.

• 13 September 2007

  29 October 2007 Hits: 83

  Panama: Following the rejection by a US judge on 7 September of an appeal that sought to block the extradition of former Panamanian dictator Manuel Noriega to France, Noriega's lawyers filed an appeal with the US Circuit Court of Appeals in Miami. Such cases can take a year or 18 months to resolve, and on 9 September, the Federal Bureau of Prisons listed Noriega's projected release date as "unknown". Noriega completed his sentence for drug offences in the US on 9 September and was set to be extradited to France where he had been tried in absentia and given a 10-year sentence for money laundering.
  

  Bolivia: On 11 September, Bolivian foreign minister David Choquehuanca announced that Bolivia's new visa requirement for US citizens visiting the South American country will take effect on December 1. The measure was first announced in January by President Evo Morales, who said it was a matter of reciprocity because the United States required Bolivians to have a visa. Choquehuanca said US tourists will be able to obtain the visa at point of entry by paying US$134, a similar amount to what Bolivians pay for a US visa.

  Colombia: Diego León Montoya, alias Don Diego, Colombia's most wanted drug trafficker, was arrested by an elite army unit on 10 September. The US welcomed the news not only because it will put an end to his drug-trafficking but also because it suggests that the government is winning its US-backed war against illegal narcotics. Don Diego appears on the FBI's list of most wanted criminals and there is a US$5m reward for his capture. The Colombian government confirmed that he would be extradited to the US, where he is wanted by three federal courts on charges of drug trafficking, money laundering and murder. Defence Minister Juan Manuel Santos suggested that Santos had smuggled at least 1,000 tonnes of cocaine to the US through Mexico and been responsible for some 70% of the cocaine entering the US.

  Peru/Panama/Colombia: The US government launched an lobbying campaign on 10 September to encourage Congress to approve Free trade agreements with Peru, Panama and Colombia. "We estimate that passage of the Peru, Colombia and the Panama agreements will increase US agricultural exports by almost US$1.5bn per year by the time the agreements are fully implemented," South Carolina Farm Bureau President David Winkles said on behalf of the American Farm Bureau Federation. US Trade Representative Susan Schwab said that she thought it was possible for Congress to approve all three trade pacts by the end of the year. Most political commentators doubt that there will be a Colombian pact before 2009.

  Peru. The free trade agreement between Peru and the US was approved by the congressional finance committee, a joint committee of both houses of congress on 10 September. Max Baucus, (D, Montana) the chairman of the Senate finance committee, said that the agreement meant all the environmental and labour rights concerns that Democrats had raised. Significantly, Thea Lee, policy director for the main trade union organisation, the AFL-CIO, said that the union did not oppose the agreement. The ALF-CIO did oppose free trade agreements with South Korea and Colombia. The Peruvian lobbyists for the treaty hope that it will be voted on by the senate between 18 and 24 September. Ratification would then be in October.

  Transport: The US Senate voted by 74 to 24 on 11 September to halt funds for a pilot inspection programme that would have allowed Mexican trucks to use US roads from the start of the next US fiscal year which begins on 1 October. The programme is opposed by trade unionists who argue that Mexican trucks are dangerous. On 9 September, just before the Senate voted, a Mexican truck carrying dynamite collided with another vehicle on a road in northern Mexico. The collision itself did not cause the explosion that killed 34 people and left 150 injured. Most of those killed and injured were bystanders, watching the fire caused by the collision, unaware that one of the vehicles on fire was the truck carrying dynamite. The explosion left a crater three metres deep and 15 metres across. The pilot project in the US Senate was derailed by an amendment from Byron Dorgan (D, North Dakota). In May the House of Representatives approved a similar measure to prevent the pilot project. The senate vote means that the project now has little chance of being implemented. Under the Nafta, road haulage should have been liberalised 10 years ago. Under the current rules, Mexican trucks have to unload on to US trucks 32km from the border (120km in Arizona).
  Lawyers say that Mexico could now sue the US under Nafta because it is being discriminated against: Canada the other Nafta signatory, does not face any obstruction to the free movement of its trucks in the US. Mexico could also take reprisals against US companies enjoying the benefits of access to Mexican markets under Nafta.
  

• 20 September 2007

  29 October 2007 Hits: 79

  Cuba: The US trade secretary, Carlos Gutiérrez, came out strongly against recent declarations in support for lifting the US four-decade-long trade embargo on Cuba. Gutiérrez, a Cuban who emigrated as a child to the US four decades ago, declared in during a tour of Central America that "the embargo has been successful". Gutiérrez asked critics to think about "what would have happened if Fidel Castro had got access to funds" from trade with the US, pointing to the fact that Cuba "spent large amounts of money and military resources" to fund leftwing guerrilla groups in Angola, El Salvador, Nicaragua and Grenada in the 1970s and 1980s. Gutiérrez went on to say that it would be "naive" to think that the Cuban interim presidency of Raúl Castro, would bring any significant democratic change to the island. For Gutiérrez, Raúl just "prolongs the dictatorship" of his ailing brother, Fidel.

  FTA with Colombia, Panama and Peru: The US sub-secretary of state, John Negroponte, declared at a conference of members of US trade chambers in Latin America that "not ratifying [free-trade] treaties with Peru, Panama and Colombia would be a victory for Hugo Chávez and the defeat of democratic forces in the hemisphere". The US government has signed free-trade agreements with the three Latin American nations, but the treaties have encountered fierce resistance in congress. According to Negroponte, the non ratification of the treaties "will demonstrate what the new autocrats are saying: that democracy cannot bring concrete benefits, that the free market and free trade only mean unfulfilled promises". Negroponte's declarations were matched by the US trade secretary, Carlos Gutiérrez, who also criticised opponents of the free-trade treaties saying they are "the same who defend an opening towards Cuba, where there is no freedom of labour union".

  Colombia: On 17 September US district judge Royce Lamberth approved a US$25m fine for banana company, Chiquita, the largest ever to be imposed under US counter-terrorism laws. According to the deal, the banana company will also be on probation for the next five years. In exchange prosecutors did not press for the maximum US$100m fine and will not press charges against (or even name) any of the company's management implicated in the pay-offs. Chiquita admitted paying paramilitaries belonging to the Autodefensas Unidas de Colombia some US$1.7m in more than 100 payments between 1997 and 2004. The banana company said that it was only acting to protect its workers and admitted to also paying money to the Ejército de Liberación Nacional when it took control of areas where the company worked.

  Dominican Republic: President of the Dominican Republic, Leonel Fernández said on 17 September that because of focussing efforts on the war in Iraq, the US were being less vigilant in the Caribbean which had resulted in an increase in narco-trafficking in the region.

  Region: On 17 September, the US State Department released its annual report on major drug-producing countries, with Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Guatemala, Haiti, Jamaica, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Peru and Venezuela all featuring on the list. The State Department commended Peru and Colombia for their progress, and condemned Venezuela, stating that the country had "failed demonstrably" in the fight against illegal drugs". Meanwhile, Bolivia, the third-largest coca producer in the world, was given a mixed assessment.
  

  Mexico: A member of Mexico's infamous Tijuana drugs cartel, Francisco Arellano Féix, has pleaded guilty in a US court to running a smuggling ring and will receive a life sentence. Arellano Féix is one of several brothers, known for their extreme violence, who ran the Tijuana cartel from the late 1980s until 2002. Aording to the US authorities, Arellano Felix, known as El Tigrillo (Little Tiger) was the head of the Tijuana cartel which has been blamed for murdering police officers, informants and rival drug traffickers. The group is known for distributing illegal drugs, much of it cocaine, from Colombia to California.
  
  

  Immigration: California now has more Mexicans that most Mexican states. California has around 4.36m Mexicans, more than the total population of 27 of the 32 states in Mexico. The Mexican population in the US totalled 9.17m at the start of 2000, climbing to 11.54m in 2006. 38% of the total Mexican population in the US live in California.
  

  Region: The US approved a US$2m grant to support a comprehensive program of labour rights projects in the six countries in Central America Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA-Dominican Republic). The US signed the Cafta-DR with Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua. The initiative will be implemented by the Organization of American States (OAS)-affiliated non-profit Trust for the Americas, jointly with the OAS Department of Social Development and Employment (DSDE. The grant agreement is part of a larger US government commitment of some US$40 million per year for 2006-2009 "to build the capacity of labour ministries, in dialogue with social partners, to better carry out their responsibilities in safeguarding the rights of workers," Michael Puccetti, the US Deputy National Summit Coordinator, explained.

• 27 September 2007

  29 October 2007 Hits: 68

  Cuba: On 25 September, US President George W. Bush gave a speech to the United Nations General Assembly condemning the "lack of freedom" in certain countries. Rather than focussing on Iran or North Korea as is usually the case, he singled out Cuba and Burma. He said the long rule of ailing President Fidel Castro was "nearing its end" and that, as the island enters a period of transition, the UN must insist on "free speech, free assembly and ultimately free and competitive elections". His criticisms of Cuba provoked a strong reactions from the Cuban delegation who walked out in process and subsequently issued a statement describing Bush as a "criminal_who lacked the moral authority or credibility to pass judgement on another country".

  Ecuador: President of Ecuador, Rafael Correa announced while on a visit in Miami that he would begin a return and resettlement plan for Ecuadorian migrants starting from January 2008. He also said that he would eliminate the factors which cause Ecuadorians to leave the country such as the high level of unemployment. Meanwhile for those living abroad he proposed the creation of a so-called "fifth region", which would provide them with political representation for the first time.

  El Salvador : Salvadorean President Antonio Saca visited the US to promote an 18-month extension of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) benefits. Currently received by some 230,000 nationals, TPS is a temporary immigration benefit granted to certain eligible nationals who are natives of designated countries or territories. The countries are usually in a state of turmoil, which the US government assumes could change and improve, allowing US temporary residents with TPS to return to their home countries in the future. Salvadoreans were granted TPS after the country was affected by earthquakes in January and February 2001.

  Peru : Peruvian foreign minister, José Antonio Garcia Belaúnde requested the inclusion of Peru in one of the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) programs from this November. MCC executive director, John Danilovich said that Peru ´s economic indicators show that the country has the right profile to benefit from the program.

  Peru : On 25 September, the House of Representatives Ways and Means committee became the second Congressional committee to approve the Free Trade Agreement with Peru in a non-binding vote. On 21 September the Senate finance committee also approved the deal in a non-binding vote. In the House their vote was unanimous. The Democrats said that they were happy with the environment and labour rights provisions of the agreement. In the Senate, there had been three votes against the treaty. The FTA is expected to be approved by congress before the end of 2007.

  Colombia : On 25 September President Alvaro Uribe asked the US Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice, to get involved in the negotiations over a possible prisoner swap between the Colombian government and the Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia (Farc). This is a clear attempt by Uribe at preventing himself from being excluded from a process that he initiated. Since Uribe asked an opposition senator, Piedad Córdoba, to mediate in the prisoner swap and allowed her to secure the involvement of Venezuela's Hugo Chávez , the Colombian president has been powerless to alter the course that the negotiations with the Farc are taking, especially as the rest of Latin America has stood behind Chávez 's efforts. Uribe hopes that the involvement of his allies in the current US administration will give him a greater say in how the process continues. The US government also expressed its willingness to get involved. Hours before Uribe met Rice, the new ambassador to Colombia, William Brownfield, said that the US would be willing to listen to the Farc's demands if it meant the release of the hostages, especially three US contractors held since February 2003. "If at some moment the Farc is willing to offer something concrete in terms of conditions [for the hostages' release]_of course the world will listen," Brownfield commented.

• 4 October 2007

  29 October 2007 Hits: 67

  Colombia: The new US ambassador in Colombia, William Brownfield met the foreign affairs minister, Fernando Araújo for the first time since assuming his post on 1 October. He underlined US support for Colombia efforts at defeating "violent groups". Brownfield had previously served as ambassador to Venezuela.
  Meanwhile US Defense Secretary, Robert Gates met President Álvaro Uribe and defence minister Juan Manuel Santos on 3 October to discuss Colombia's security policy. After Israel and Egypt, Colombia receives the third largest amount of military aid from the US. Since 2000, the US has contributed over US$4bn as part of Plan Colombia.
  

  Cuba: On 1 October, the US acknowledged that it had failed to meet the annual quota of 20,000 visas agreed as part of migration accords signed by both countries in 1995. Instead only 15,000 visas were provided. The US blamed Cuban officials for the shortfall. Sean Murphy, Consul general at the US Interests Section in Havana, said that it had been impossible to maintain "the rhythm of work" of past years because of insufficient personnel.
  Under the accords, the US agreed to grant at least 20,000 visas annually to Cubans wanting to live in the US in an effort to prevent a repeat of the 1994 migration crisis that saw more than 30,000 islanders take to the sea on makeshift rafts bound for South Florida. During a briefing with international reporters, Murphy also said that the US suspended its processing of Cuban applications for US immigrant visas chosen in visa lotteries held by the American mission in the late 1990s, known as the "bombo".
  The shortfall in visas has resulted in an increase in the number of Cubans attempting to enter the US; in the last fiscal year, over 10,000 Cubans entered the US illegally through the Mexican border, while 7,693 Cubans set off across the Florida Straits.
  Separately, a Cuban-US Republican Ileana Ros-Lehtinen requested that the European Union intervene on behalf of Cuban dissidents after the Cuban government detained at least 47 Cubans on 27 September. The detainees were on their way to a protest in Havana in defence of political prisoners and were released the following day.
  

  Mexico: The Mexican foreign ministry reported that 14,000 Mexican illegal immigrants caught in Arizona were flown to Mexico City this summer as part of a voluntary repatriation programme which has been in place since 2004.
  

  Argentina: While assuring that a "formal agreement was not necessary", the US asked Argentina on 29 September to reach a "certain common understanding" with the IMF in order to proceed with negotiations over the Paris Club agreement.
  Argentina owes the Paris Club US$6.2bn in debt and some of the Paris Club member-countries are demanding that the negotiations take place within the framework of an agreement with the IMF.
  Argentine president Néstor Kirchner declared Argentina's independence from the IMF in January 2006 after the country paid off all of its debts to the IMF (amounting to US$9.5bn).
  

  Panama: On 28 September, Panamanian foreign minister, Samuel Lewis said that Panama was "cautiously optimistic" that the Free Trade Agreement with the US would be approved by congress. Panama and the US signed the FTA at the end of June although the approval process faltered somewhat following the selection of Panama's Pedro Miguel González as leader of the national assembly. The US maintains that González is responsible for the 1992 murder and attempted murder of two US officials.
  

  El Salvador: Salvadorean president Tony Saca met US defense secretary Robert Gates on 2 October. This was the first stopover for Gates on a tour of Latin America. Saca said after the meeting that El Salvador, the only Latin American country with troops in Iraq and a close ally of the US, would maintain its 280 troops in Iraq but he wanted to reduce that level as the security situation improved. El Salvador has maintained a presence in Iraq since August 2003.

• 11 October 2007

  29 October 2007 Hits: 242

  Brazil: US secretary of commerce, Carlos Gutiérrez, visited Brazil on 10 October to discuss ethanol and bio-fuels as well as promote trade between the two countries. Gutiérrez met the Brazilian minister for development industry and foreign trade, Miguel Jorge, well as Brazilian foreign minister, Celso Amorim, to discuss intellectual property and the Doha talks. Gutiérrez told journalists that Brazil's leadership "is key" for concluding the world trade liberalisation talks, which according to him "is closer to concluding [successfully] despite what people may think". Gutiérrez said that the US sees Brazil as a leader and called upon the Brazilian government to "make concessions [...] as this will persuade other developing nations to do the same".

  The US and Brazilian government officials also explored how to increase trade between the two countries - which amounts to some US$46,000m annually, representing an increase of 15% compared to the previous year.

  Bolivia: The Bolivian government is requesting that the US ambassador to Bolivia, Philip Goldberg, officially retract his comment that "I wouldn't be surprised if Bolivia wanted to change the location of Disneyland", in response to President Evo Morales's proposal that the United Nations assembly be transferred to another country.

  Separately, Morales declared on 8 October that Bolivia's future constitution will not permit the installation of US military bases and asked the rest of Latin America to follow suit. He made the announcement during an event commemorating the 40-year anniversary of the death of Ernesto "Che" Guevara.

  Colombia-Panama-Peru: The US secretary of state, Condoleezza Rice, went told a congressional committee that not approving a free-trade agreement with Colombia, Panma and Peru would be a "gret blow" to those countries as well as undermine US interests in Latin America as a whole. Congress refusal to ratify the agreements "would send a loud and clear message across the region that the US cannot be trusted to keep its promises", she said.

  Colombian President, Alvaro Uribe, was outraged following an opinion piece published in the New York Times on 8 October which called on the US congress to approve the free-trade agreements signed with Peru and Panama but not with Colombia. The Times article indicates that there is still considerable opposition to Uribe's government and concludes that "Uribe and his government have not done enough to bring to justice the paramilitary thugs -and their political backers - responsible for widespread human rights violations_Withholding ratification can still be used as a level to change Mr Uribe's behaviour".

  Uruguay: US secretary of commerce, Carlos Gutiérrez, began a two-day visit to Uruguay on 8 October where he met Uruguayan President Tabaré Vázquez to discuss ways of expanding the trade relationship between the two countries. In what was Gutiérrez's first trip to the country, the US official also met Uruguayan entrepreneurs from the high-tech and software sectors, as well as the leadership of Uruguay's newly-created Innovation Agency to discuss regional efforts to foster innovation. According to Gutiérrez, US exports to Uruguay grew a 131% from US$209m in 2002 to US$482min 2006 outperforming overall US export growth, which was 14% for the same period. He added that he "looked forward to continuing our efforts to build on the great successes we have already accomplished." He also signed a series of documents with the minister for industry, energy and mining, Jorge Lepra to promote trade relations and investment.

  Venezuela: On 6 October, the US's newly appointed ambassador to Caracas, Patrick Duddy declared his intent to "strengthen bilateral relations", part of a general drive by the US to improve diplomatic relations with President Hugo Chávez since he was granted a mediating role in the Colombian hostage crisis. Duddy reportedly had a "cordial talk" with Venezuela's foreign minister Nicolás Maduro. Maduro also met US assistant secretary of state, Thomas Shannon, the top US diplomat for the Americas at the UN. Shannon indicated his desire to visit Venezuela soon to improve relations.

• 18 October 2007

  29 October 2007 Hits: 211

  Cuba/Venezuela: On 14 October, Cuba's leader, Fidel Castro made a special appearance on Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez ' television program 'Aló Presidente'. In response, the US government expressed its "regret" at Castro's "reluctance" to talk as openly with his citizens as with Chávez . US State Department's Deputy Spokesman and Deputy Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs, Tom Casey said that while he was "very pleased that Fidel Castro finally [after 15 months of absence] got to talk about things with his old friend, President Chávez , it's a shame that in almost half a century of chaos in Cuba [Fidel] has not had the same conversation with his own citizens". As well as discussing Ernesto "El Che" Guevara and Latin America's turn towards the left, Chávez and Castro also exchanged views on the government of George W. Bush.

  Colombia: The US secretary of commerce, Carlos Gutiérrez ended his visit to Colombia in the city of Medellí­n on 14 October, where he met with Mayor Sergio Fajardo. The purpose of his visit to the country was to assure the democrats in congress of the importance of approving the future free trade agreement signed by Washington and Bogotá. During his visit, Gutiérrez also met with President Alvaro Uribe, with whom he travelled to Bojayá to inaugurate a local urbanization.

  Colombia: Arrangements are underway regarding the hand-over of control over Plan Colombia. The US will give the Colombian government control over some sectors of Plan Colombia, a program established by ex President Andrés Pastrana in accordance with the US to create an anti-drug strategy end to armed conflict. US ambassador to Colombia, William Brownfield, explained that the US will be handing over control of some directives that they have been supporting for some 7 or 8 years. Though management changes are forecasted, Brownfield assured that there would be "no fundamental changes" in terms of Washington's cooperation with Bogotá. In a previous visit to Bogotá, Brownfield remarked that "[Colombia] is no longer a country in crisis, as it was 8 or 9 years ago: it is now a prosperous country that can control its territory".

  Venezuela: On 16 October Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defence for Western Hemisphere affairs, Stephen Johnson, expressed his concerns regarding Venezuela's recent acquisition of weapons from Russia. "Venezuela has crossed the line", said Johnson, and this could presumably lead to an arms race amongst its neighbours. Stating that the US should take action in preventing a future conflict, Johnson said, "we recognize that every country has the right to defend itself_but the question is, 'what's enough?'". He added that the US considers the increase in weapons alarming due to the present situation in the country. Johnson advised neighbouring countries that, "although Venezuela is buying more combat planes, helicopters, submarines, and firearms, and despite the potentially threatening situation, by no means this should incite an arms race in the region". The Assistant Secretary emphasised that by focussing on the arms market, successful democracies in the region could be distracted away from the welfare of the people, "and [welfare] is our number one concern".

  Brazil: Brazil has recently stated that it reserves the right to impose annual sanctions on the United States as compensation for the damage that US government subsidies to cotton farmers has caused the Brazilian economy. This statement comes as a response to the recent World Trade Organization ruling that "subsidies to cotton farmers breached global trade rules". The WTO had ruled in 2005 that this aid amounted to illegal assistance that skewed international trade by undermining global cotton prices. Despite US efforts to clean up house, the WTO panel "found that changes made by the United States were insufficient to bring the challenged measures into conformity with US WTO obligations". US officials expressed their disappointment, claiming that "[they] still believe that payments and export credit guarantees under [their] programs are now fully consistent with WTO obligations".

• 25 October 2007

  29 October 2007 Hits: 199

  COLOMBIA
  US Deputy Director of Marshals Service, Brian Beckwith, arrived in Bogotá, Colombia on 22 October for a two-day visit to discuss cooperation between the two countries on the upcoming judicial reforms in Colombia. The US Embassy in Bogotá stated that Beckwith will meet with the Director of National Police, General Óscar Naranjo, and Deputy Attorney General Guillermo Mendoza to oversee training sessions offered to security agents in the country. Around 273 Colombian agents have been trained by the US Marshals Service, and the embassy announced that the US would continue to help strengthen the penal system in Colombia (an initiative that began in 2005).

  CUBA
  Cuban senior officials announced on 21 October that they would continue to disregard any comments regarding Cuba by President George W. Bush and expressed their belief that the US would fail miserably at the UN General Assembly meeting that will take place on 30 October. The White House announced that President Bush would discuss matters such as the Cuban Embargo, "democracy and new initiatives to help the people of Cuba", and "the role that the international community can play in the Cuban transition". The President of the Cuban Parliament stated that "thankfully" Bush's final days in the White House are near, because "there is no Bush that can last 100 years and no world that can stand him". He said that he was confident that there would be an extremely high vote against the embargo" throughout the UN General Assembly. The Cuban Foreign Minister, Felipe Pérez Roque, went on to add that American plans to impoverish the Cuban people would fail, and accused the US of denying, "through embargos, and more pressures", Cuba's right to operate as a socialist democracy, and exercise its rights as an independent country.

  MEXICO
  At the XXXIII national governors conference, Mexican governors expressed disagreement over both the US's decision to construct a wall between the US and Mexico, and new immigration policies being drafted by the US. They said that they were seeking to create bridges in understanding between both nations, not a divisible wall between them. The US' deportation system also came under fire at the conference, for "dividing families, damaging homes, and instilling fear - offering no real solution to the immigration issue". The governors highlighted the "historical contributions to the economy, society, and culture that millions of Mexicans have made to the American society through their work". They all emphasized their fear with respect to the extremes to which the US is taking immigration reforms. President Felipe Calderón closed the conference reminding everyone that Mexico will continue to "work tirelessly" so that emigration towards the US becomes "legal, orderly and respectful of the liberties and rights of people".

  MEXICO
  US Secretary of Homeland Security, Michael Chertoff, reaffirmed on 22 October his right to waive certain laws in order to continue the construction of the wall along the Arizona-Mexico border. The construction was halted on 10 October when a federal judge ordered the construction to be postponed on the grounds that the federal government had not fully taken into account the environmental impact of the process.
  Congress gave Chertoff the right to waive environmental laws and other regulations set forth by the 2005 Real ID border initiatives. Chertoff said "we are trying to respect the substance of the environmental process and we are using the waiver authority where it looks like people are simply trying to stop or slow us down by throwing up procedural obstacles" and using litigation.

  MEXICO
  On 22 October President George W Bush asked congress for US $500m to support Mexico in the fight against organised crime in through the "Mérida Initiative", a name taken after the city where President Bush met with President Felipe Calderón earlier this year. The request also includes $50m for Central America, as part of a $1.400m plan to increase cooperation between the US and Mexico in upcoming years. President Bush asked congress to approve the request "without delay".Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs Tom Shannon said that the fight against narcotics and terrorism is a "shared responsibility" and as such, the US will continue to fight drug trafficking and the smuggling of arms into Mexico. An increase in funds request is expected to come to pass during the 2009/2010 fiscal years.

  MÉXICO/ARGENTINA/CHILE/COLOMBIA/PERÚ/URUGUAY
  US Secretary of Treasury, Henry Paulson, and representatives from Mexico, Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Peru and Uruguay analysed on 21 October, the effects that Chinese imports are having on their respective economies. The Colombian Treasury Minister, Óscar Iván Zuluaga said that Chinese goods seriously affect the production levels in the domestic economy because "prices in China are far inferior to those in our countries". He added that Colombia has already limited the number of ports through which Panamanian products made in China can enter in an effort to increase control. All participants agreed that China should reform its social security system and improve working conditions, which in turn will increase the price of goods.

  USA
  On 23 October Colorado's Republican Senator, Tom Tancredo presented a plan to overrule a decision made on 20 October that cancelled legislation permitting the federal government to impose criminal sanctions on illegal immigrants and their employers. Tancredo, a long-time enemy of illegal immigration, described how in his plan, the DHS (Department of Homeland Security) would have the right to send companies warning letters regarding the illegal status of their workers, a right denied on 20 October. Congressman Tancredo also referred to Judge Charles Breyer's vote against legislation that would force companies to fire immigrants unable to prove their legal status. Tancredo criticised Breyer's vote against the proposal, and said that his legislative initiative would "weaken congress' erroneous dictation".

• 1 November 2007

  05 November 2007 Hits: 216

  MEXICO
  On 29 October, President Felipe Calderón met US Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte to discuss issues such as economic development and the fight against drug smuggling and organised crime. According to Calderón, they both agreed on the need to "strengthen cooperation in order to fight drug trafficking and organized crime that affects both Mexico and the US". The US is proposing a US$500m "Iniciativa Mérida", to support Mexico's action against drug gangs.

  NICARAGUA
  The US Southern Command concluded the second phases of its assistance program, "New Horizons 2007, Together We Can" in Carazo, south of Managua, on 25 October. The US embassy in Nicaragua said that the latest stage of the program had seen the construction of two new medical clinics, a school, and the refurbishment of another public school. The embassy added that the projects had been undertaken by local contractors, with the help of the program in conjunction with local government authorities and the Nicaraguan army.

  PANAMA
  Panamanian President, Martí­n Torrijos arrived in Miami on 26 October for a three day visit to the US. He met representatives from cruise line companies and from Miami University with the purpose of finding new investment opportunities in Panama. He also discussed the option of starting a branch of the Miami University in the Ciudad del Saber facilities, an old US military base near the Panama Canal.

  VENEZUELA
  President Hugo Chávez met the new ambassador to Caracas, Patrick Duddy on 29 October. While Chávez had had a difficult relationship with Duddy's predecessor, William Brownfield, accusing the US official of "interfering" in domestic affairs on various occasions, critics are more optimistic about the new appointment and future US-Venezuelan relations. Chávez made no comments following the meeting, however, the new ambassador made a statement with respect to "working together" on various areas, including drug-trafficking.

  PERU
  The free trade agreement between the US and Peru will receive its final vote on either 5 or6 November, when it is put to the full House of Representatives. The FTA was approved by the House Ways and Means Committee on 31 October. Following the vote, Peru's ambassador to the US, Felipe Ortiz de Zevallos, expressed delight at the result, indicating that he never expected such a positive and unanimous decision. With 39 votes in favour, and none against, members of the committee approved the FTA, drafted in April 2006 to increase trade relations between the countries. The FTA will eliminate tariffs between the US and Peru, and will open the US market to Peruvian goods. According to the US department of commerce, the US is Peru's main commercial partner, buying 23.3% of its exports.

• 8 November 2007

  08 November 2007 Hits: 188

  ARGENTINA/VENEZUELA
  US ex-Secretary of State Madeleine Albright publicly criticised President George Bush and Hugo Chávez during an Expo Management 2007 conference on 2 November. She commented on Chávez 's way of "buying his friends due to instability in the region", and the manner in which countries reacted to his demands. Referring to the Iraq war, Albright also denounced the Republican Party and President Bush for leading her country in the "worst diplomatic failure, much superior to that of Vietnam". She went on to criticise Argentina's recent scandal regarding statistical information manipulation, saying "it is true that there is not much investment in Argentina, but there is will. First, Argentina must make its statistics honest because no one believes in the Instituto Nacional de Estadí­sticas y Censos". Nevertheless, Albright showed great optimism about Cristina Fernández de Kirchner's election, forecasting "genuine expectations" during her presidency.

  BOLIVIA/ECUADOR
  US trade representative Susan Schwab stated on 5 November that a future trade agreement with Bolivia and Ecuador is unlikely to occur. If her statement is true, it would put a US$1,000m export market in danger. This was briefly mentioned to the media at a conference held by the Department of Agriculture. After such a bold statement, she later clarified that "this doesn't meant that they won't" sign a trade agreement with the US in the future. "Obviously," she continued "those matters would have to be discussed by the respective governments and Congress in order to come to a decision". Peru and Colombia have already signed a trade agreement (TLC), and are awaiting ratification by Congress. However, Bolivia and Ecuador have yet to sign the TLC and are under scrutiny by US institutions due to their involvement in the free trade campaign.

  CUBA
  Cuba is challenging the 45-year economic embargo imposed by the United States in 1962 on the grounds that it violates the rules set forth by the World Trade Organization (WTO). In a proposal drafted this week, Cuba asks the WTO for the "elimination of discrimination treatment in international trade relations", and emphasises the fact that "the international community had broadly rejected the imposition of laws and regulations and all other coercive measures". Cuba not only called for help for its own people, but added the importance of "lifting any discriminatory unilateral trade measure" against any developing state. For the 16th consecutive year, the UN General Assembly approved a resolution for the US to lift the embargo, however the measure is nonbinding and will have no effect on US policy. US President George Bush rejected last week any moderation of sanctions without a democratic transition for Cuba, to which Cuban foreign minister Felipe Perez Roque responded: "the United States has ignored, with both arrogance and political blindness, the 15 resolutions adopted by this General Assembly calling for the lifting of the blockade against Cuba".

  DOMINICAN REPUBLIC
  The US announced on 2 November that it would donate 960,000 US dollars to the Dominican Republic. The purpose of this donation adds to other world aid sent to fix the damages caused by the tropical storm "Noel". US$600,000 was granted by USAID, and US$360,000 by MAAG, both organisations focused on humanitarian aid. According to the US Embassy in Santo Domingo the US will also donate thousands of water bottles, hygiene packages and bed sheets to the most affected areas. The US has joined hands in the effort with Spain, France, Taiwan, Venezuela and the United Nations. The hurricane left 122 people dead and displaced tens of thousands.

  PERU
  The commercial pact between the US and Peru was accepted by the House of Ways and Means on 31 October 2007. However, some candidates have yet to approve it. Among them is president candidate John Edwards, who deemed the pact irrelevant when he stated that "congress should not approve new commercial treaties until a new health assistance system has been approved, along with beneficial laws for US workers". According to the Washington Post, the commercial pact will affect US$8,800 annually in goods and services; will benefit a pro-US government in Latin America; and will open a market for US. Among those who approve is Barack Obama, another candidate for the 2008 elections. Hillary Clinton, also a presidential candidate, still has to make up her mind with regards to the pact.

• 15 November 2007

  19 November 2007 Hits: 175

  Colombia: During a visit to Colombia, US national drug control policy director John P Walters told the local press that he hoped for better cooperation with Venezuela in the fight against drug-trafficking.
  Accompanied by the outgoing administrator of the US Drug Enforcement Administration, Karen Tandy he met Colombia's President Alvaro Uribe, Defence Minister Juan Manuel Santos and police chief, Oscar Naranjo to discuss developments in the fight against drugs.
  Walters said the US-backed campaign and more cooperation between Colombia and Mexico had disrupted the flow of cocaine sufficiently to push up prices by 44% - one sign of scarce supply. He said the jump was accompanied by a 15 percent decline in the average purity of cocaine, another key indicator of supply.
  Santos added that in 2007, the authorities had confiscated 92 tonnes of cocaine and 328 of heroin.
  Nevertheless, drug policy analysts have questioned Walters positive appraisal with a drug intelligence report recently released by the Justice Department suggesting that since July, prices have started to fall.

  Colombia: Colombian Trade Minister Luis Guillermo Plata made a three-day trip to Washington on 12 November to lobby for the approval of the Free Trade Agreement with the United States. The accord has been stalled since the Democrats took control of congress because of strong opposition from the AFL-CIO labour federation, which calls Colombia the most dangerous country in the world for trade unionists.
  Plata told reporters that Colombia already is working as hard as it can to cut violence against trade unionists.
  Colombia has already changed the Free Trade Agreement to incorporate tougher labour and environmental provisions requested by Democrats.

  Brazil: During an international trade mission to Brazil, US governor of Florida Charlie Crist cancelled a meeting on 7 November with executives at Petrobras, the state-controlled energy company due to the company's ties with Iran.
  He said that any agreement with Petrobras would have violated the spirit of a bill he signed in June that forbids the state from investing its US$140bn pension fund in companies that do business with Iran. "I am deeply committed to showing the world that Florida will not support companies that threaten our nation or our allies," Crist said in a written release. "We will continue to follow the moral and prudent path by not doing business with companies that sponsor terror and by setting an example for all other states and nations." Florida and Petrobras are key to the bilateral agreement between Brazil and the US, which seeks to promote the production and marketing of ethanol globally.

  Cuba: The case of Luis Posada Carriles, the anti-Castro militant wanted in Cuba and Venezuela for the 1976 bombing of a Cuban airliner, will be discussed today (15 November) before a congressional audience in Washington. Entitled Diplomatic guarantees regarding tortures - why some are accepted and other rejected, the meeting was convened by the Democrat leadership of the chamber of representatives and takes place a week after the Justice Department appealed the decision by Texan judge Kathleen Cordone to dismiss immigration fraud charges against Carriles.

  Central America: John Feeley, director of the Central America office for the US Department of State met deputy foreign ministers of the countries comprising the Central American Integration System (SICA) (Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua and Costa Rica) on 13 November in Guatemala. He expressed concern that as a result of the success of Colombian President Alvaro Uribe in the fight against drugs, Central America is becoming a "refuge" for Colombian drug traffickers who are increasingly using Costa Rica and Panama as transit routes. Feeley said that the US government "recognised the suffering of the Central American people" caused by the increase in violence resulting from drug trafficking and said that the Bush administration was aware that US support for the regional alliance was necessary for it to be "efficient and effective". The White House has already approved US$16m to finance the regional security strategy, with US Congress expected to approve a further US$50m project for the region.

• 22 November 2007

  22 November 2007 Hits: 188

  BOLIVIA
  The Bolivian government sent a group of lawyers to the US to arrange the deportation of ex-Interior Minister Luis Arce Gómez. He was the right hand man of Luis Garcí­a Meza during his dictatorship(1980-81), Arce Gómez has served an 18-year sentence in Florida's Coleman jail for drug trafficking. He is to be sent back to Bolivia on 23 November, where he faces a sentence of another 30 years in the Chonchocoro prison. Among other things he is accused of several murders.

  COLOMBIA
  Colombian Minister of Commerce, Luis Guillermo Plata, met his US counterpart, Carlos Gutiérrez on 17 November, and several US congress members. The US delegation travelled to Colombia to discuss the pending free trade agreement (FTA) signed last year. The FTA awaits full approval by congress. Plata told the press that "this new visit, mainly composed of Democrat congressmen who had never been to Colombia, was of vital importance for the future votes necessary for the agreement to be approved by the US". There has been considerable opposition within the Democrat-controlled congress because of Colombia's poor human rights record and violence against trade unionists, but Plata announced on 15 November that he believed the "climate in Congress to be more favourable". He added that he expected the FTA to be ratified when it is eventually voted on - probably next February or March.

  ECUADOR
  US Ambassador to Ecuador, Linda Jewell, offered her apologies for an incident which took place at Miami airport on 15 November in which security officers attempted to search and interrogate the Ecuadorean president, Rafael Correa. While expressing her regret for the treatment of Correa, Jewell said that US officials had not received advanced notice of his stopover in Miami. However, Ecuador's foreign ministry said that the US had been notified and that it would be lodging a formal complaint to the US government for the "lack of basic manners" shown to the president.

  MEXICO
  Governor of Texas, Rick Perry, announced on 19 November that his "virtual wall" with Mexico will begin functioning in January. Perry invested US$200,000 in 2006 to begin the project which involves monitoring the US-Mexico border with cameras. However, late last year Perry ran out of funds and had to suspend the operation. His spokesperson, Allison Castle said while activity is expected to begin in early 2008, there might be initial problems with the installation of the project. Castle explained that any user can access this virtual wall and inform the local authorities of illegal attempts at entering the US. Outraged opponents have argued that global public access could lead to violence and abuse against immigrants. Governor Perry defended the measure last year, explaining that while users will have access to all cameras, they will not know the exact location of the cameras, and would thus be unable to locate the immigrants in time. The user can inform the authorities of suspicious activity by "providing the camera number", said Perry. Some months into 2006, and US$200,000 later, Perry was able to arrest 10 illegal immigrants last year through the "virtual wall".

  MEXICO
  Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs Tom Shannon forecast full congressional approval for Iniciativa Mérida, a project designed to combat organised crime and drug trafficking. He also stated that the US would respect any future "sovereign decisions" by Mexico to buy military equipment from any country. Shannon added that as well as the plan agreed in Congress, voters in both countries would also determine the conditions of the project, in order that the aid be used in an efficient manner. In previous press conferences, Shannon has indicated his support for the idea of "shared responsibility" as a means of combating drug trafficking and organised crime in the region, with Iniciativa Mérida one such response.

• 29 November 2007

  29 November 2007 Hits: 214

  COLOMBIA
  The US ambassador in Colombia, William Brownfield, backed Colombian President Alvaro Uribe in his decision to withdraw his consent for President Hugo Chávez 's mission to organise a prisoner exchange in Colombia. Brownfield said on 27 November that the US had supported Chávez 's mediation as requested by Uribe last August to negotiate an agreement with the Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia (FARC) to swap hostages for Farc members who are in jail. Brownfield's support for Uribe was echoed by US State department spokesman Sean McCormack who said that the US would continue working with the Colombian government to secure the release of the hostages and that as regards the end of the mission, "that is a sovereign decision for Colombia and Venezuela in terms of their action and their reaction to it".

  MEXICO
  The national human rights committee announced on 25 November, that around 4,745 immigrants have died in the past 13 years trying to cross the US border. Human rights ombudsman José Luis Soberanes demanded both the US and Mexican governments assume responsibility. He also argued that Mexico should take responsibility for failing to provide sufficient support to emigrants abroad while US immigration policy means that immigrants are forced to resort to riskier methods when attempting to enter the country. There are 11m Mexicans in the US. Of these 6m are illegal immigrants, and every year about half a million people risk their lives trying to cross the border.

  EL SALVADOR
  President Antonio Saca declared his confidence that the US would increase funds for the Iniciativa Mérida. Saca meets US President George W. Bush in Washington today (29 November) and has said previously while he understands that the White House initially intends to provide US$50m for the Central American part of the initiative, he is confident that the amount will be increased in the future. In the case of Central America, President Bush has decided to concentrate efforts not only on the fight against drug trafficking, but also gang wars and general delinquency. On 20 November, Guatemala's vice-president Eduardo Stein, criticized the US government's decision to only grant US$50 million, dismissing it as "a bad joke". Urging immediate help in order to prevent Mexican drug cartels from migrating south, Stein used the analogy of a balloon to illustrate the situation; "You squeeze Mexico and everything will move to Central America, which lacks the capacity to deal with an increase in organized crime".

  GUATEMALA
  The US ambassador announced that the US government provided cooperation worth US$18.7m during 2007 to combat drug-trafficking and to strengthen the justice system. This was through the US embassy's anti-narcotics section, the US international development agency (USAID), the drug enforcement agency (DEA) as well as the use of helicopters and other equipment. Guatemala will also benefit from the Iniciativa Mérida recently proposed by US President George W. Bush which authorises an extra US$9.2m for Guatemala to combat narco-trafficking.

  GUATEMALA

  In a recent visit to Guatemala, US senator Norm Coleman (R, Minnesota) expressed his hopes for the approval of new adoption laws by Guatemala's congress to facilitate the adoption of Guatemalan babies by US citizens. Guatemala is preparing to overhaul its adoption system to meet child-protection standards defined in the Hague Convention on Intercountry Adoption. The US state department advised US nationals in September to avoid beginning the adoption procedure until there is greater clarity over Guatemala's new system. According to Guatemala's human rights ombudsman, US couples adopted 4,275 Guatemalan children in 2006. So far this year, 2,845 adoptions were approved by the Guatemalan authorities, of which 2,739 children went to US households.

• 6 December 2007

  06 December 2007 Hits: 172

  BOLIVIA

  A Bolivian delegation comprising government officials and a group of exporters from La Paz's poor area of El Alto travelled to the US to seek a third extension of the Andean Trade Preference Drug Eradication (Atpdea). While optimistic about the possibility of extending the act, the general manager of the national chamber of exporters, José Rivero, acknowledged the "difficult" and "increasingly complex" nature of Bolivia-US relations. A timely bonus for Bolivia's case was the news that it had exceeded its coca eradication target for 2007. The government boasted that 5,900 hectares of cultivated coca had been eradicated so far this year compared with 5,070 hectares the previous year and the target of 5,000 hectares.

  VENEZUELA

  US Under Secretary for Political Affairs Nicholas Burns reacted optimistically to the "positive news" from Venezuela's 2 December referendum on a constitutional reform pushed through by President Hugo Chávez . Burns told that "this is positive news. Apparently, this is a victory for the people of Venezuela".

  COLOMBIA

  In a telephone call on 3 December US President George W Bush asked Comombia's President Alvaro Uribe for details about the proofs of life released by the FARC guerilla of the 45 hostages the group holds. The hostages include French-Colombian politician Ingrid Betancourt and US contractors Thomas Howes, Marc Gonsalves and Keith Stansell, who were snatched by FARC when their aircraft crashed on a counter-narcotics mission. A spokesperson for the Colombian government said that Bush had expressed "concern for all the kidnapped victims, not just for the three North Americans". Bush and Uribe also discussed briefly the Free Trade Agreement negotiated between Colombia and the US that is awaiting approval by congress in Washington.

  URUGUAY

  Officials from Uruguay and the US met this week in Montevideo to discuss the trade and investment agreement (TIFA) signed in January, that opened the US market to Uruguayan blueberries. Representatives of both countries welcomed the growth of blueberry exports, expected to be worth US$190m by 2009. Also discussed was the standardization of sales by the US of Uruguayan lamb, which will be traded for a trial period. The two countries will meet again during the first semester of 2008 in Washington.

  PERU

  The US senate approved a free-trade agreement (FTA) with Peru on Tuesday with a broad majority. The Senate voted 77-18 to pass the agreement, which has been in political limbo in Washington since it was signed on 12 April 2006. The agreement sets rules of investment and will immediately reduce or eliminate tariffs, locking in Peru's duty-free access to the U.S. market. Supporters predict a boost to US-Peru trade of US$1.5 billion a year and increased foreign investment in Peru. President Alan Garcia of Peru said after the vote that the FTA "will create more employment by opening up Peru for industrialists to install plants here to supply the US market". As a result of changes demanded by the US Democrats, the pact requires the two countries to adhere to core international legislation on the protection of workers' rights and the environment. "I look forward to signing this legislation into law and urge congress to promptly consider and approve our other pending free trade agreements, starting with Colombia", US President George W Bush said in a statement after the vote.

  REGION

  A congressional delegation of US senators ended their tour of Latin America this week in Guatemala. The senators, headed by Senate majority leader Harry Reid, visited Paraguay, México, Colombia and the Brazil/Argentina/Paraguay "Triple Border" before their arrival in Guatemala on Sunday (2 December). The tour was intended to show the commitment of the US to strengthening its relationship with Latin America.

• 13 December 2007

  13 December 2007 Hits: 181

  CUBA: Leaders of the US Senate have reaffirmed their support for a bill to ease trade regulations governing the export of medicines and agricultural products to Cuba. During a hearing by the Senate Finance Committee on 11 December, senators came out in favour of removing the US requirement that Cuba pay cash in advance for food and medicine. Committee chairman Max Baucus said that the regulation put in place by the Bush administration in 2005 was out-dated: "It no longer makes sense for either Cubans or Americans, it undermines America's economic competitiveness and it does not help promote our overall foreign policy goals."

  MEXICO: US Defence Secretary Robert Gates received Mexico's Secretary of Navy, Admiral Mariano Francisco Saynez, on 11 December to discuss anti-drug efforts and natural disaster planning. Government officials reported that the hour-long meeting included a discussion of the US$1.4bn Mérida initiative. Announced by US President Bush in October, the initiative would support cooperation between the US and Mexico and Central America to combat drug trafficking and criminal organizations.

  U.S: Seven Republican presidential candidates participated in a Spanish language debate in Miami on 9 December aimed at addressing issues important to Hispanic voters. During the debate, which was sponsored by Spanish-language television broadcaster Univision, candidates acknowledged that they must win back the confidence of the Hispanic population, only 30% of whom voted Republican in last year's congressional elections. The Republican candidates nevertheless maintained their hard line on illegal immigration, a stance which could alienate the potentially pivotal Hispanic vote in next year's elections.

  COLOMBIA/US: Chief Executives from top US companies including Wal-Mart, Microsoft, General Motors and Coca-Cola urged Congress on 11 December to pass a free trade agreement with Colombia. "Improving the rule of law in Colombia is vital but delaying approval of the U.S-Colombia TPA (Trade Promotion Agreement) is not the answer _ Delaying approval will undermine the U.S-Colombia relationship, which has been a significant factor in promoting Colombia's progress," the business chiefs said in a letter to US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Potosi and other congressional leaders. The US Senate approved a free trade agreement with Peru last week but as yet has ignored requests from the Bush administration to set a date for a vote on the Colombian agreement. US labour groups and leading democrats, including presidential candidates Senator Hillary Clinton and John Edwards, have opposed the agreement because of human rights abuses in Colombia, particularly against trade unionists.

  COLOMBIA/US: Colombian vice president Francisco Santos visited Washington between 11 and 13 December to seek support for the FTA and for Colombia's negotiations with Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia over a prisoner swap. Santos met representatives from Washington's diplomatic and economic communities. Hostages held by the Farc include French-Colombian politician Ingrid Betancourt and US contractors Thomas Howes, Marc Gonsalves and Keith Stansell.