Trump Jitters To Dominate Key LatAm Summit

BAVARO, Dominican Republic, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 25th Jan, 2017 ) -Latin American and Caribbean leaders gather Wednesday to discuss regional trade, migration and drug policies in an uncertain new era of foreign relations under new US President Donald Trump.

Countries representing 620 million inhabitants in a poor region largely dependent on trade with the United States will discuss Trump's vows to overhaul his country's commercial ties. Trump has threatened to protect US jobs by revising international trade accords with key countries in the region such as Mexico, Peru and Chile.

Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto at the last minute canceled plans to attend the one-day summit of the 33-nation Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) in the Dominican beach resort of Bavaro.

That was due to "scheduling reasons," the Mexican foreign ministry said in a statement late Tuesday. It came at a time of high concern about Mexican-US ties. Trump was expected to take a first step Wednesday towards enacting his pledge to "build a wall" to stop migrants entering the United States illegally via the Mexican border.

"If he is going to kick out Latinos, put up barriers to our exports and restrict investment in these countries, all that will be against our interests," said the Secretary General of the South American bloc UNASUR, Ernesto Samper, ahead of Wednesday's summit.

Cuba's Communist President Raul Castro will also attend the summit, amid questions over how Trump will approach Havana's diplomatic rapprochement with Washington. Trump has said he may end the diplomatic thaw started by his predecessor Barack Obama if Cuba does not make more concessions on human rights -- an issue on which Havana refuses to be lectured.

There are also question marks over what approach Trump will take to Venezuela's volatile economic crisis and Colombia's historic peace process. Officials said the leaders will also discuss drug crime in the region, a major source of cocaine trafficked to the United States and Europe.