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LATIN AMERICA ADVISOR a DAILY PUBLICATION of the DIALOGUE Friday, January 22, 2021

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LATIN AMERICA ADVISOR a DAILY PUBLICATION of the DIALOGUE Friday, January 22, 2021 LATIN AMERICA ADVISOR A DAILY PUBLICATION OF THE DIALOGUE www.thedialogue.org Friday, January 22, 2021 BOARD OF ADVISORS FEATURED Q&A TODAY’S NEWS Diego Arria Director, Columbus Group POLITICAL Devry Boughner Vorwerk What Will Result Maduro Sent CEO, DevryBV Sustainable Strategies Letter to Iran’s Joyce Chang Global Head of Research, From Cuba’s Terror Leader Accrediting JPMorgan Chase & Co. Businessman Paula Cifuentes Director of Economic & Fiscal Affairs, Sponsor Listing? Colombian businessman Alex Latin America & Canada, Saab, who was detained last year Philip Morris International on a U.S. warrant in Cape Verde, Marlene Fernández was carrying a letter from Vene- Corporate Vice President for zuelan President Nicolás Maduro Government Relations, Arcos Dorados (McDonald’s) accrediting him to Iran’s leader, according to a court filing. Peter Hakim President Emeritus, Page 2 Inter-American Dialogue Donna Hrinak Senior VP, Corporate Affairs, POLITICAL Royal Caribbean Group Two Million Covid Jon E. Huenemann Former Corporate and Vaccine Doses Government Senior Executive Heading to Brazil James R. Jones Chairman, A shipment of two million Monarch Global Strategies Just before leaving office, former U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration designated doses of the Oxford/AstraZeneca Cuba a state sponsor of terrorism. Cuba’s Capitolio is pictured above. // File Photo: Radio Craig A. Kelly Taíno. Covid-19 vaccine are due to arrive Senior Director, Americas today in Brazil. Int’l Gov’t Relations, Exxon Mobil In its waning days in power, the administration of U.S. Pres- Page 2 John Maisto ident Donald Trump returned Cuba to the U.S. government’s Director, U.S. Education Finance Group list of state sponsors of terrorism, reversing an action that ECONOMIC Nicolás Mariscal Q former President Barack Obama took in 2015. Was the Chairman, Mexican Gov’t Grupo Marhnos Trump administration’s decision a wise move, and why did it take this ac- Thomas F. McLarty III tion now? What practical effects will that designation have for Cuba and Working on Bank Chairman, Bill Alternative McLarty Associates its relations with the United States? To what extent will the designation Beatrice Rangel complicate efforts by new U.S. President Joe Biden toward normalizing Mexico’s government is working Director, relations with Cuba? on an alternative to controversial AMLA Consulting LLC legislation that calls for making Jaana Remes the central bank a buyer of last Partner, resort for dollars, said Finance McKinsey Global Institute Otto Reich, president of Otto Reich Associates LLC and Minister Arturo Herrera. former assistant secretary of state for Western Hemisphere Ernesto Revilla Page 3 Head of Latin American affairs under President George W. Bush: “The Obama ad- Economics, Citi Gustavo Roosen ministration’s decision to remove Cuba in 2015 from the U.S. Chairman of the Board, A State Department list of state sponsors of terrorism was a short-sighted Envases Venezolanos Andrés Rozental political decision not made in the best interests of the United States but President, Rozental & of the president’s legacy. Cuba had been on the list since 1982 because Asociados of a documented history of support for terrorism in dozens of countries in Shelly Shetty Managing Director, Sovereigns three continents. It was removed from the list because Gen. Raúl Castro Fitch Ratings demanded it as a condition for accepting Obama’s ‘rapprochement.’ The State Department’s recent action returning Cuba to the list is justified. Ha- vana continues to collaborate with terrorist groups and countries, harbors terrorists on the island, trains and commands torture and assassination forces in Venezuela, and collaborates with other terrorist states. Some Herrera // File Photo: Mexican examples: Cuba refuses to honor Colombia’s extradition request of Hava- Government. Continued on page 2 COPYRIGHT © 2021, INTER-AMERICAN DIALOGUE PAGE 1 LATIN AMERICA ADVISOR Friday, January 22, 2021 POLITICAL NEWS in detail how Maduro, his family and top aides NEWS BRIEFS purportedly siphoned off millions of dollars in Maduro Sent Letter government contracts, the AP reported. Bermuda Charges Former Accrediting Saab to Premier Brown With Graft Two Million Doses Bermuda has charged former Premier Ewart Iran’s Leader: Filing of Covid-19 Vaccine Brown with 13 counts of corruption in connec- tion with an alleged multimillion-dollar scheme Colombian businessman Alex Saab, who was Heading to Brazil involving a U.S.-based hospital, the Associated detained on a U.S. warrant last year, was Press reported Thursday. Brown, who led the carrying a letter from Venezuelan President A shipment of two million doses of the British territory from 2006 to 2010, will plead Nicolás Maduro accrediting Saab to Iran’s su- Covid-19 vaccine developed by Oxford Uni- not guilty, according to his attorney. Local preme leader when he was detained, according versity and AstraZeneca are being shipped to prosecutors have accused Brown of illegally to a new court filing, the Associated Press Brazil, the country’s health ministry announced receiving millions of dollars via Massachu- reported today. Attorneys for Saab made the Thursday, the Associated Press reported. The setts-based hospital Lahey Clinic, in addition filing in Miami federal court on Thursday in the shipment is coming from India and is expected to more than $350,000 in donations for the politically charged corruption case. Saab, who to clear Brazilian customs today in São Paulo Progressive Labor Party and the Bermuda is wanted in the United States on charges of before being flown to Rio de Janeiro, the loca- Health Foundation. Brown has called the case money laundering, was arrested in Cape Verde tion of the government-run Fiocruz Institute, a “witch hunt.” last June when his plane stopped to refuel on the wire service reported, citing the health its way to Tehran. He was allegedly traveling to ministry. Fiocruz has partnered with Oxford and Iran to negotiate deals to exchange Venezuelan AstraZeneca for the distribution and produc- Brazil’s Bank Lending gold for Iranian gasoline, the AP reported. A tion of the vaccine. Last week, the vaccine Grew 15.4% Last Year court in the African nation on Thursday granted was supposed to have been flown to Brazil him house arrest while he fights extradition to from India, but the flight was delayed, leading Brazil’s level of bank lending grew 15.4 percent the United States, Reuters reported. “We look Brazil to start vaccinations instead with the last year, marking its fastest acceleration forward to [Saab] now being able to receive the CoronaVac inoculation developed by Chinese since 2012, bank lobbying association Febra- specialist medical attention he needs as well biopharmaceutical company Sinovac. Brazil’s ban said Thursday, Reuters reported. Loans to as being able to engage with all his defense, Butantan Institute has a deal with Sinovac for cash-starved companies facing the economic his family as well as access to Venezuela a supply of its vaccine. Neither Fiocruz nor the crisis stemming from the Covid-19 pandemic consular officials,” Saab’s lawyer said in a Butantan Institute have the needed technology drove the lending, Febraban said. Corporate statement. U.S. authorities allege Saab knows to produce the vaccines in Brazil, so they must loans grew 21.7 percent last year, while loans to individuals grew 10.8 percent. The survey FEATURED Q&A / Continued from page 1 covered 68 percent of Brazil’s lending, the wire service reported. na-based members of the ELN armed force, including missiles and jet fighters, hidden which has been internationally designated a under sacks of sugar. The cargoes were terrorist organization and in 2019 bombed loaded in Mariel, Cuba. During President Ambev to Add 1,000 the Colombian Police Academy, resulting Clinton’s administration, Cuba conducted a in 21 dead and dozens wounded. Cuba sophisticated espionage operation against Electric Vehicles to Fleet refuses to repatriate about 70 U.S. fugitives, the United States culminating in downing Brazilian beermaker Ambev will add 1,000 some of whom murdered American police two unarmed propeller planes over interna- electric vehicles, including vans and trucks, to officers and are on the FBI’s Most Wanted tional waters, resulting in three U.S. citizens its fleet, the company told Reuters on Thursday. list. Cuba collaborates with state sponsors and one lawful resident killed. Cuban spies Start-up FNM and truckmaker Agrale will sup- of terrorism (Iran, North Korea and Syria), provided information to the Cuban Air Force ply the vehicles. Ambev is planning to convert and with Russia and China to undermine MiGs that vaporized the defenseless planes, its entire fleet, currently one of Brazil’s largest U.S. interests. The biggest violation of but also surveilled U.S. military installations. at 5,300 trucks, to clean energy. The company United Nations sanctions against Pyongyang Too many other examples to mention here hopes to have at least half of its truck fleet involved a Korean ship discovered in the amply validate Cuba’s continued listing as a operating on clean energy by 2023. Ambev did Panama Canal in 2014 carrying weapons, state sponsor of terrorism.” not disclose the value of the agreement with Continued on page 4 FNM and Agrale. COPYRIGHT © 2021, INTER-AMERICAN DIALOGUE PAGE 2 LATIN AMERICA ADVISOR Friday, January 22, 2021 rely on imports. Some experts in Brazil said the expected supply of the vaccines in Brazil is THE DIALOGUE CONTINUES too small to vaccinate the country’s 210 million people. “Counting doses from Butantan and those from India, there isn’t enough vaccine Can Biden Rebuild U.S. and there is no certainty about when Brazil Credibility in Latin America? will have more, or how much,” Mário Scheffer, professor of preventive medicine at the Univer- Joe Biden took office Wednes- have undermined the value and integrity of sity of São Paulo, told the AP.
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