He Government of Guatemala confirmed that he participated this Thursday, July 16, in the Ministerial Meeting on the Resurgence of Political Terrorismsummoned by the United States Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, in Washington D.C.
The Executive reported that the participation occurred after an invitation conveyed by the State Department on July 9 and that the country’s representative at the meeting was Guatemalan ambassador to the United States, Hugo Beteta.
Regarding the initiative promoted by Washington to strengthen international cooperation against what the US State Department calls a “resurgence of political terrorism”the Government of Guatemala indicated that it maintains a position of condemnation of international terrorism “in all its forms and manifestations.”
“Guatemala maintains a firm stance of strong condemnation of international terrorism in all its forms and manifestationsconsidering it a serious threat to peace, security and human rights. The State of Guatemala has ratified various regional and international agreements and adapted its legal framework to prevent this scourge and its financing,” the Government reported.
Asked if the threat that USA identify as “far-left political terrorism” represents a risk for Guatemala, the Government indicated that its security priorities continue to focus on three issues.
“In security issues, for this administration it continues to be a priority to combat drug trafficking, gangs and organized crime. The strategic actions of the State institutions remain firm to dismantle these structures“, indicated the Executive, adding that they are “actions that are developed at the national level but that require joint work with other countries”.
The absence of Mexico and the regional analysis
Mexico was one of the countries invited to the ministerial meeting, but decided not to participate. President Claudia Sheinbaum confirmed that her government received the invitation, although she decided not to attend considering that it was a meeting of a primarily political nature and not a meeting focused on combating criminal groups.
He added that, on other occasions, Mexico has participated in this type of spaces or has done so as an observer, but that in this case the name and focus of the call motivated the decision not to attend, as documented by the local media. The Day.
For the ambassador and former vice chancellor Luis Fernando Andrade Fallathe ministerial meeting reflects a United States strategy to strengthen international cooperation against groups that Washington links to left-wing extremism and political violence.
“It is a warning to leftist governments and movements that resort to violent or destabilizing actions when they lose power,” he specified.
“They are already warned that there will be greater concern from the United States about Latin America, with monitoring, visa restrictions and actions in accordance with its national security criteria against these groups”he added regarding the context in which Washington draws its line.
In his opinion, Mexico’s decision also shows differences in approach between Washington and some governments in the region on this security agenda, in a context in which the United States has announced new measures, such as visa restrictions and greater monitoring of networks that it considers linked to violent extremism.
“From Guatemala’s perspective, it is also a call for left-wing currents to be careful not to fall into extremism or link up with violent or terrorist groups,” he stated.
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