Biden hoping to avoid Summit of the Americas flop in LA

Mexican President Andrs Manuel Lpez Obrador confirmed Monday that he will not attend the Summit of the Americas in Los Angeles this week, dealing a blow to the event hosted by U.S. President Joe Biden.Lpez Obrador said it was concerns over the guest list that led him to skip.

Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador confirmed Monday that he will not attend the Summit of the Americas in Los Angeles this week, dealing a blow to the event hosted by U.S. President Joe Biden.

López Obrador said it was concerns over the guest list that led him to skip. He wanted Cuba, Nicaragua and Venezuela to be invited, but Washington did not want to include autocratic governments.

"There cannot be a summit if all countries are not invited," he said. "Or there can be one but that is to continue with all politics of interventionism." López Obrador said his foreign affairs secretary, Marcelo Ebrard, will lead the Mexican delegation in his absence. Instead of going to Los Angeles, López Obrador said he would visit communities that were damaged by a recent hurricane later this week.

The Summit of the Americas, which brings together countries from across the hemisphere, is held every few years. It begins Monday, and Biden is slated to arrive on Thursday.