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Afrancisco Campbell, Nicaraguan LATIN AMERICA ADVISOR A DAILY PUBLICATION OF THE DIALOGUE www.thedialogue.org Wednesday, December 5, 2018 BOARD OF ADVISORS FEATURED Q&A TODAY’S NEWS Diego Arria Director, Columbus Group ECONOMIC Devry Boughner Vorwerk Corporate VP, Global Corporate Affairs Will U.S. Sanctions Cuba to Offer Cargill Internet Access Joyce Chang Global Head of Research, Lead to Changes on Mobile Phones JPMorgan Chase & Co. Cuba’s government announced Marlene Fernández that it will offer Internet access Corporate Vice President for in Nicaragua? Government Relations, for mobile phones across the Arcos Dorados country beginning on Thursday. Peter Hakim The government authorized home President Emeritus, Internet access last year. Inter-American Dialogue Page 2 Donna Hrinak President, Boeing Latin America Jon Huenemann BUSINESS Vice President, U.S. & Int’l Affairs, Philip Morris International Trading Firms James R. Jones Accused in Chairman, Monarch Global Strategies Petrobras Case Craig A. Kelly Brazilian prosecutors accused Director, Americas International Gov’t Relations, Exxon Mobil trading firms of participating in a scheme that paid bribes to John Maisto The United States last month imposed new sanctions on members of Nicaraguan President Director, U.S. Education Daniel Ortega’s inner circle. // File Photo: Nicaraguan Government. employees of state oil company Finance Group Petrobras. Nicolás Mariscal Page 3 Chairman, U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration in late Grupo Marhnos November slapped sanctions on Nicaraguan Vice President POLITICAL Thomas F. McLarty III and First Lady Rosario Murillo and the country’s national se- Chairman, Ecuador’s VP McLarty Associates Q curity advisor, Néstor Moncada. Treasury Secretary Steven Carl Meacham Quits Amid Probe Associate VP for Latin America Mnuchin said the U.S. government is holding Nicaraguan President Dan- Int’l Advocacy Division, PhRMA iel Ortega’s government accountable for this year’s deadly protests and Over Payments Carlos Paz-Soldan “widespread corruption.” Will the newest sanctions lead to any changes Vice President María Vicuña Partner, stepped down amid an investiga- DTB Associates, LLP in Nicaragua? Are the sanctions justified, and will they prompt other tion over payments she received Beatrice Rangel countries or multilateral entities to increase pressure on Ortega? Has from a former advisor. She was Director, AMLA Consulting LLC anything changed in Nicaragua since anti-government protests began in in office less than a year, having replaced Jorge Glas, who was Jaana Remes April, and how likely is the situation to be resolved in the coming year? Partner, embroiled in a corruption scandal, McKinsey Global Institute last January. Ernesto Revilla Francisco Campbell, Nicaraguan ambassador to the United Page 2 Head of Latin American Economics, Citi States: “Nicaragua firmly rejects the interventionist policy of Gustavo Roosen the U.S. administration stated in the Nov. 27 executive order. Chairman of the Board, Envases Venezolanos A Sanctions on officials on the frontline in defense against the Andrés Rozental failed April 18 coup attempt and its aftermath are another example of President, Rozental & Asociados and Senior flagrant disrespect of international law that has been a permanent feature Policy Advisor, Chatham House of U.S. policy toward Nicaragua. In the 1980s, another U.S. administration Shelly Shetty Head of Sovereigns Ratings, and Congress sponsored the Contra forces heralded as ‘freedom fighters’ Latin America, Fitch by President Reagan. This support for perpetrators of violence and terror Roberto Sifon-Arevalo was condemned by the World Court in its 1986 historic ruling, which Managing Director, Americas Sovereign & Public Finance Ratings, found the United States culpable of state-sponsored terrorism against Standard & Poor’s Nicaragua. The damage from this coup attempt is great, resulting in loss Vicuña // File Photo: Ecuadorean of lives, human suffering and destruction of public and private property by Government. Continued on page 2 COPYRIGHT © 2018, INTER-AMERICAN DIALOGUE PAGE 1 LATIN AMERICA ADVISOR Wednesday, December 5, 2018 POLITICAL NEWS reiterated his concern for me. I understand that NEWS BRIEFS relieving me of duties was a way to ensure my Ecuador’s VP Resigns legitimate right to defense,” Vicuña wrote in an Bolivian Court Rules open letter. Vicuña last week acknowledged Morales Can Run Amid Investigation receiving payments from the former advisor, but she said they were contributions made for Fourth Term Over Payments voluntarily to a political organization aligned A Bolivian court on Tuesday ruled that Pres- with Correa’s Alianza País party. Vicuña said ident Evo Morales can seek a fourth term in Ecuadorean Vice President María Vicuña she refused the donor’s request to be named to office in the country’s presidential election resigned Tuesday amid an investigation over a government post, adding that she is now “a next year, Agence France-Presse reported. payments she received from a former advisor victim of slander.” A chamber of the Supreme Electoral Court while she was legislator with former President approved nine candidates for primary elections Rafael Correa’s party, El Comercio reported. in January, including Morales. Opponents of Vicuña’s resignation came a day after current ECONOMIC NEWS Morales say his bid for re-election is unconsti- President Lenín Moreno relieved her of her tutional and have called for a general strike on duties and marked the second time that a Thursday to protest the decision. vice president has departed since Moreno Cuba to Offer took office in May 2017. Last January, Vicuña Internet Access replaced then-Vice President Jorge Glas, who Maduro, Putin to was under investigation in connection with the on Mobile Phones massive corruption scandal involving Brazilian Meet Today in Moscow construction conglomerate Odebrecht. The Cuba announced Tuesday night that it will roll Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro is company has admitted to paying bribes to out Internet access for mobile phones across scheduled to meet with Russian President officials in several countries in Latin America the country beginning this week for the first Vladimir Putin today in Moscow, where they are in an effort to win infrastructure contracts. time in the island’s history, the Associated set to talk about trade and energy cooperation, In relieving Vicuña of her duties on Monday, Press reported. Mayra Arevich, the president Russian state news agency Tass reported. The Moreno assigned José Agusto Briones, Ecua- of Cuban state telecom monopoly Etecsa, said two presidents will also discuss extra aid for dor’s secretary of the presidency, to handle the company will begin offering 3G services the crisis-wracked South American country, Vicuña’s duties. Moreno said he had decided for Cubans for the first time on Thursday. The where there is a shortage of food, medicine to reassign Vicuña’s duties as vice president Cuban government authorized home Internet and other basic goods. “Practical aid is provid- so that she could defend herself, Reuters last year and has set up more than 800 Wi-Fi ed to the Venezuelan side on a regular basis. reported. “The President of the Republic has hotspots in public spaces, including parks and The issue will be definitely put forward this FEATURED Q&A / Continued from page 1 time,” Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov told reporters. so called ‘peaceful protesters.’ A 4 percent response to the radical minority and their reduction in this year’s GDP growth rate is external backers, seeking to destroy the projected. However, the resiliency of the harmony and progress attained through hard Nicaraguan people is on full display, and re- work and perseverance of Nicaraguans of Brazil’s JBS Taps covery in all sectors is increasingly evident. goodwill.” Tomazoni as CEO Confronted by external machinations that Brazilian meatpacking firm JBS on Tuesday seek to subvert our sovereignty and indepen- Manuel Orozco, director of named Gilberto Tomazoni as its new chief dence, Nicaragua reiterates its commitment the Migration, Remittances executive officer, the Financial Times reported. to peace and reconciliation through dialogue & Development program at An engineer, Tomazoni previously was CEO of among Nicaraguan families. In March 2019, the Inter-American Dialogue: A food producer Sadia, which is now part of BRF. elections will be held in the Caribbean Coast “The sanctions are a byproduct of U.S. Tomazoni also previously served as vice presi- Autonomous Regions. Legally established policy warnings to the Nicaraguan govern- dent of Bunge Alimentos. Tomazoni joined JBS political parties are participating, reaffirming ment about the Ortega regime’s abuses of five years ago as the head of the firm’s poultry their respect for the Nicaragua Constitution authority, human rights and property rights. unit. Tomazoni replaces José Batista Sobrinho, and our model of participatory democracy. The type of sanctions imposed represent a 85, who took over the company’s helm after his These elections constitute an unequivocal foreign policy tool that is commensurable to son Wesley Batista was arrested in connection Continued on page 4 with a corruption scandal. COPYRIGHT © 2018, INTER-AMERICAN DIALOGUE PAGE 2 LATIN AMERICA ADVISOR Wednesday, December 5, 2018 plazas, around the country. But Cubans until now have only had access to state-run email TECHNOLOGY BRIEFS accounts on their cellphones, the AP reported. Etecsa executives said the company will offer
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