10 June 2010 / REUTERS/AP, QUITO
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton wooed one of Latin America’s vocal leftist leaders on Tuesday, hoping to show that the United States can cooperate even with countries that criticize US policies.
Ecuadorean President Rafael Correa, often aligned with US foe Venezuela’s Hugo Chavez, expressed “joy” at Clinton’s arrival, and assured her whatever their differences, the United States and Ecuador could work together. “We will not bow down,” Correa said in a joint appearance with Clinton. “However we are not anti-American, we love the US very much.” The Obama administration has repeatedly vowed closer cooperation with Latin America, but remains dogged by disappointment in the region over the slow pace of change on key issues including immigration and the US economic embargo against Cuba. Many Latin Americans were also disappointed with what they saw as an insufficiently forceful US response to last year’s coup in Honduras. Clinton’s Latin America tour is aimed at once again trying to create momentum in US ties with its southern neighbors. Correa is often grouped with other leftist leaders in the region, including Chavez and Bolivia’s Evo Morales, and has been critical of the United Sta-tes in the past.
