Nicaragua: the American ambassador is "persona non grata" even before his arrival
Audio 01:13
The American embassy in Nicaragua, in 2008 in Managua (illustration image).
© Esteban Felix/AP
Text by: RFI Follow
1 min
New episode of tension between Nicaragua and the United States.
Managua withdrew the authorization to enter the territory of the new American ambassador on Thursday July 28.
He accuses her of interference.
Everything was played out during a hearing of the future ambassador before the Senate.
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Hugo Rodriguez had been nominated by Joe Biden in May, but he had yet to receive the approval of the American Congress.
On Thursday, he therefore spoke before the Committee on External Relations of the Senate.
In
his declaration
, he evoked the political prisoners, the forced closures of NGOs, the Nicaraguans who leave by the hundreds of thousands a country qualified as a dictatorship.
“
The United States has spoken out against these abuses and, if my candidacy is confirmed, I will continue to do so
,” explains the diplomat.
In a letter to the US State Department, Nicaragua responds that these are "
disrespectful statements
" and "
interference
".
Entry authorization is withdrawn from the future ambassador immediately.
Relations between the two countries have been very strained since the major anti-government protests in 2018 which were a US-led coup attempt, according to Managua.
The Government of #Nicaragua, informed the US government, that it withdrew its approval of the candidate for the post of US ambassador in Managua, Hugo Rodriguez, for his interference and disrespectful expressions to the people of Nicaragua.
pic.twitter.com/GWLLAcXIbP
— teleSUR English (@telesurenglish) July 28, 2022
Relationships very strained, but not broken
Since then, the sanctions taken by Washington and its refusal to recognize the third consecutive re-election of Daniel Ortega have widened the gap.
Impossible to discuss with the Americans, according to the Nicaraguan president: “
What dialogue can there be with the devil?
We would like to have good relations with the United States, but it is impossible.
»
However, the country remains an important trading partner for Nicaragua.
Washington maintains that a form of " two-way
communication
" still exists and that the United States will continue to "
press for the release of political prisoners
".
►Also read: In Nicaragua, the repression of all critical voices intensifies
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Nicaragua
United States
Diplomacy