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Two days after his election, the new president of Guatemala, who will take office in January, demands respect from the US administration. In particular, a case that caused an uproar in this country of Central America: the signing, by the current President Jimmy Morales, a migration pact with Washington.
Alejandro Giammattei says he does not want a confrontation with the US president. He promises to be respectful, but also demands reciprocity, he says, from Donald Trump.
The elected president avoids criticizing frontally the migratory pact signed just before the election by his predecessor. A text with very vague outlines, which would make Guatemala a " safe third country ". In other words, a country ready to welcome Honduran and Salvadoran migrants for the time of the study of their asylum request by the American administration.
An idea that worries the future head of diplomacy, Pedro Brolo, interviewed by RFI in Spanish . " We are not able to comply with all the terms of the agreement. Guarantee a roof, access to education, health, employment and security. We can not guarantee it to our own citizens, so we find it difficult to offer this to refugees and migrants from other countries. "
The deal, which was signed under the threat of economic reprisals from the United States, will have to be submitted to Guatemalan parliamentarians for approval. A constitutionally binding step, but one that his predecessor had chosen to circumvent.
► See also: Guatemala: the immense challenges of the next president