Mexican leader says Biden offered $4 billion in aid for Central America
attempts by WASHINGTON >> President caravans Joe Biden’s first calls to forof Central eign leaders went to CanaAmerican dian Prime Minister Justin migrants to Trudeau and Mexican President cross Mexico. Andrés Manuel López Obrador at a strained moment Biden’s for the U.S. relationcall to ship with its North American Trudeau, neighbors. also on Friday, came after
Mexico’s president said the Canadian prime minister Saturday that Biden told this week publicly expressed him the U.S. would send disappointment $4 billion to help development over Biden’s decision to in Honduras, El SalvadorandGuatemala—nations issue an executive order halting construction of whose hardships have the Keystone XL oil pipeline. spawned tides of migration through Mexico toward the The long-disputed projUnited States. ect was projected to carry
López Obrador, who some 800,000 barrels of oil spoke Friday with Biden a day from the tar sands of by phone, said the two discussed Alberta to the Texas Gulf immigration and Coast, passing through the need to address the Montana, South Dakota, root causes of why people Nebraska, Kansas and migrate. Oklahoma.
Mexico has stopped recent Biden told Trudeau that by issuing the order he was following through on a campaign pledge to stop construction of the pipeline, a senior Canadian government official told The Associated Press. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the private conversation.
The White House said in a statement that Biden acknowledged Trudeau’s disappointment with his Keystone decision.
Biden’s call with López Obrador also came at a tense moment — days after the Mexican president accused the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration of fabricating drug trafficking charges against the country’s former defense secretary.
López Obrador said in a statement Friday that the conversation with Biden was “friendly and respectful.”