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WORLD NEWS Tuesday 18 July 2023

EU and Latin American leaders hold a summit hoping to rekindle

relationship with long-lost friends

By RAF CASERT an excessive reliance on
Associated Press Beijing’s rare mineral re-
BRUSSELS (AP) — Leaders sources.
from the European Union Their last such encounter
and Latin America gingerly was in 2015, and since then
hugged and huddled at the COVID-19 pandemic
the opening of their first and Brazil’s three-year de-
summit of long-lost relatives parture from the 33-nation
in eight years. Monday’s CELAC group had made
opening session didn’t turn the Atlantic Ocean sepa-
into a joyful reunion of long- rating the two sides seem
lost friends. wider.
Latin American and Ca- That view could not be dis-
ribbean leaders brought pelled despite pledges of
century-old recriminations friendship and EU commit-
over colonialism and slav- ments to spend 45 billion
ery across the Atlantic to euros ($51 billion) on the
the EU’s headquarters in partnerships over the next
Brussels, and added cur- four years.
rent-day complaints that Instead, divisions ranging
Europe still doesn’t get how from Russia’s war in Ukraine
to treat former colonies as to trade anddeforesta-
equal partners in the 21st tion gave extra spice to a
century. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, left, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines’ meeting that will be consid-
“Most of Europe was, and Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves, center, and European Council President Charles Michel gesture ered a success simply if the
still is, overwhelmingly the during the third EU-CELAC summit that brings together leaders of the EU and the Community of participants agree to meet
lopsided beneficiary in a Latin American and Caribbean States in Brussels, Belgium, Monday, July 17, 2023. more frequently.
relationship in which our Associated Press Problems over including a
Latin America, and our Ca- challenges of today can proof that we, as Europe, ing of the meeting, high- reference to Russia in the
ribbean, have been and only be tackled effectively sometimes acted a bit ar- lighted by a dispute over summit statement were
are unequally yoked,” said when EU and Latin Ameri- rogantly.” whether to include a con- especially painful. The EU
St. Vincent and the Grena- can countries do so to- The result was that long- demnation of Russia’s war repeats its unwavering
dines Prime Minister Ralph gether. stalled trade agreements in Ukraine. support for Ukraine almost
Gonsalves, who holds the “You have to realize that like a huge EU-Mercosur If something was on show, daily. CELAC has member
presidency of the 33-nation in the past, we didn’t pick deal will likely be no clos- it was Central and South nations like Cuba and Ven-
Community of Latin Ameri- up the phone when they er to resolution when the America’s increased confi- ezuela whose views on Rus-
can and Caribbean States. had issues. So there is very leaders wrap up their sum- dence, boosted by a huge sia contrast with just about
European leaders acknowl- serious irritation among mit Tuesday. And despite injection of funds from Chi- every EU nation and oth-
edged time and again a great many countries,” weeks and months of prep- na and the knowledge that ers that are neutrals in the
that the exploitation of old Dutch Prime Minister Mark aration, a joint final state- their critical raw materials war and point out other
had been fundamentally Rutte said. “That we get this ment was still in limbo less will become ever more vi- global conflicts that get less
wrong, yet insisted that the back in our face now is also than a day before the clos- tal as the EU seeks to end attention.q

Lack of funding forces U.N. to slash food program in Haiti amid a

surge in malnutrition

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) upended by violence, in- Food Program has pro-
— The U.N.’s World Food security, economic turmoil vided more than 450,000
Program announced Mon- and climate shocks,” said school children with hot
day that it is facing a short- Jean-Martin Bauer, the meals, often the only food
age of funds and won’t be agency’s director for Haiti. they receive in a day.
able to help 100,000 peo- The agency warned that Per capita, the number of
ple in Haiti this month who its Haiti response plan is Haitians facing emergen-
urgently need assistance. only 16% funded, and that cy-level food insecurity is
The 25% cut comes as a it won’t be able to provide the second highest in the
record 4.9 million people food to a total of 750,000 world, with nearly 5 million
in the country of nearly 11 Haitians if it doesn’t secure struggling to eat every day,
million need help with find- $121 million through the according to the agency.
ing food, the agency said. end of the year. More than 115,000 children
“These cuts could not “Unless we receive immedi- younger than 5 also are
come at a worse time, as ate funding, further devas- expected to struggle with

A malnourished baby is measured by a health worker at the Haitians face a multi-lay- tating cuts cannot be ruled malnutrition this year, a 30%
Gheskio Center in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Friday, July 14, 2023. ered humanitarian crisis, out,” Bauer said. surge compared with last
Associated Press their lives and livelihoods So far this year, the World year.q