In U-turn, Mexico’s President to meet Biden at November Apec summit

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Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador gestures during a press conference, where he rejected U.S. plans to build new sections of wall at the U.S.-Mexico border, ahead of high-level meetings with U.S. officials expected to focus on immigration and security, at the National Palace in Mexico City, Mexico October 5, 2023. Mexico Presidency/Handout via REUTERS/File Photo

Mr Lopez Obrador had in August indicated he would meet President Joe Biden at the summit, then said in September that he would not go.

PHOTO: REUTERS

MEXICO CITY – Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said on Monday that he has decided after all to meet his United States counterpart Joe Biden between Nov 14-15 on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) summit in San Francisco.

Mr Lopez Obrador had in August indicated he would meet Mr Biden at the summit, then said in September that he would not go.

“I rethought it,” Mr Lopez Obrador said during a regular press conference, pointing to President Biden’s invitation and the importance of having good ties with the US. “A very good relationship with the United States is good for us,” he added.

The Mexican leader in September announced he would not attend the US-hosted summit due to his differences with the current government in Peru, the Apec forum's next chair.

Mexico's ties with Peru began breaking down in December 2022, when Peru's government ordered the Mexican ambassador to Lima to leave after President Lopez Obrador forcefully condemned the ouster of former Peruvian president Pedro Castillo, a fellow leftist.

Mr Lopez Obrador's U-turn came after he held meetings with a delegation of senior US officials last week in Mexico City, including US Secretary of State Antony Blinken. REUTERS

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