LATAM POLITICS TODAY-Brazil, Mexico discuss overcoming regional tariff barriers

The latest in Latin American politics today: Brazil, Mexico discuss overcoming regional tariff barriers

SAO PAULO - Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has expressed his intention to "expand the dialogue" between Latin American countries to overcome tariff barriers, Brazil's presidential office said on Wednesday. Following an hour-long phone call in which Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and Lopez Obrador discussed bilateral and regional economic issues, the statement said, the latter invited Lula to Mexico, who affirmed his intention to do so "as soon as possible."

El Salvador's Bukele responds to Petro prison criticism El Salvador's President Nayib Bukele on Wednesday responded to criticisms from his Colombian counterpart in a spat over anti-gang crackdown, widely popular among Salvadorans though human rights groups argue innocent people have been caught up in the mass arrests, including dozens at least who died in custody.

"It gives you chills," President Gustavo Petro said in a video shared by Bukele on Twitter, accusing El Salvador of sending thousands of young people to "concentration camps" and "prisons which are in my opinion Dantesque." In the video, Petro acknowledged the popularity of Bukele's policy but says Colombia has also managed to reduce crime with "universities, colleges, spaces for dialogue".

"Results outweigh rhetoric," Bukele responded in the Twitter post. "I hope that Colombia actually succeeds in lowering the homicide rates, as we Salvadorans have achieved." OAS names Haiti working group head, U.S. says Caribbean gun trafficking a 'priority'

The Organization of American States' (OAS) Haiti Mission said on Twitter that Trinidad and Tobago's ambassador Anthony Phillips-Spencer has been named president of its Haiti working group, as the group looks to address a humanitarian crisis fueled by violence from armed gangs. The OAS last month committed to creating a working group by no later than Feb. 22 to address issues such as preventing gun trafficking to Haiti and a proposed multinational force to help police restore order, which Haiti's caretaker government requested nearly six months ago.

Separately, the U.S. State Department issued a statement saying that "disrupting illicit firearms trafficking in the Caribbean is a shared priority for the United States and our Caribbean partners, and an important aspect of our cooperation to address rising levels of crime and violence in the region." Argentina's Fernandez slams judiciary

BUENOS AIRES - Argentine President Alberto Fernandez opened Congress this week with a speech criticizing the country's judiciary, months ahead of the presidential elections. "The judiciary has not had public confidence for a long time, it does not work effectively and it does not show itself to have the required independence regarding factual and political powers," Fernandez said.

The comments comes after Vice President Cristina Fernandez was sentenced in a corruption case in 2022, leading to a impeachment process against four Supreme Court judges. Fernandez de Kirchner's sentence was seen by President Fernandez as an attempt to disqualify her possible candidacy from October's elections.

Peru's Boluarte to invest in key opposition region LIMA - Peruvian President Dina Boluarte announced measures to develop the country's southern region, a key area of opposition and that was the host of several protests against her government earlier this year.

Following a ceremony in the courtyard of the Government Palace, Boluarte said her government is "committed" in particular to the southern regions, adding that in the coming days she will announce measures to boost the growth and development of Puno region. Brazil's Haddad says high interest rates are country's main issue

BRASILIA - Brazil's Finance Minister Fernando Haddad said the country's high interest rates are the primary obstacle to economic growth, adding that recent government measures such as reinstating fuel taxes would pave the way to monetary easing. In an interview with news portal UOL, he said he believed this was the correct path to follow, rather than changing the central bank's inflation targets.

President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, a leftist, has also repeatedly and publicly criticized the level of interest rates given slowing inflation, saying the current inflation targets are too low and detrimental to economic growth. (Compiled by Sarah Morland, Steven Grattan and Carolina Pulice; Editing by Paul Simao, Alistair Bell and Diane Craft)

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