02142015Sat
Last updateFri, 13 Feb 2015 3pm

Peña Nieto visits White House but fails to get noticed

If President Enrique Peña Nieto envisioned his visit to Washington and meeting with President Barack Obama sparking favorable coverage abroad and revitalizing his tarnished international image, the reality fell short.

Protestors gathered in the snow outside the White House to denounce the president, with one banner proclaiming “Peña – killer” in red letters. ABC even reported that the small demonstrations held in Washington D.C. and at least 20 other U.S. cities overshadowed the day, embarrassing the Mexican leader.

In fact, domestic concerns over a failed rebellion in Congress, and Obama’s veto threat to the House were what really upstaged the visit. Last month’s seismic announcement that the White House would restore diplomatic ties with Cuba can’t have helped either, as mainstream U.S. media seems to have temporarily maxed out its interest in Latin American affairs.

For Peña Nieto, the discussion of trade and energy were key. Here was a chance to promote his big plan A: the implementation of reforms to put Mexico on a path to economic growth.

Yet Cuba and immigration topped Tuesday’s agenda. Obama urged Mexico to halt the flow of immigrants, and Peña Nieto praised the “very audacious decision” to normalize ties with Havana.

There were no big announcements and none of the major U.S. TV channels covered the visit. Newspapers running the story all referred to the problems Peña Nieto was facing at home.

After weeks of speculation in Mexico, Obama did mention the case of the disappeared students of Aytozinapa. “Obviously we’ve been following here in the United States some of the tragic events surrounding the students whose lives were lost,” he told reporters after the meeting. “Our commitment is to be a friend and partner with Mexico in its efforts to eliminate the scourge of violence and drug cartels.”

Yet there was no condemnation of Peña Nieto’s handling of the crisis and many advocates had been hoping for more.

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