Chilean Quake Shifts Focus of Hillary Clinton's Latin American Tour

1 year ago

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Washington Reporter

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's tour of Latin America began Monday with previously planned meetings in Uruguay, where she revealed that she is personally bringing sophisticated communications equipment to Santiago, Chile. The equipment had been requested by Chile's president, Michelle Bachelet.

"Both President Obama and I spoke with President Bachelet shortly after the earthquake, offered whatever assistance the government might need -- put on stand-by search-and-rescue teams, other assets that we thought might be needed," Clinton said Monday. "They have asked for communications equipment, some of which I am bringing on our plane. Other technical equipment will be flown there in addition. But one of the reasons why they have asked me to continue my trip is to assess whatever else they might need and immediately to begin the process of providing it."

Clinton's visit to five nations was long planned and was intended to bolster the U.S. campaign to isolate Iran in international relations, but an 8.8-scale earthquake that shook Chile on Saturday and displaced millions of people is already lending a sense of urgency to the original mission.

Chile has a comprehensive emergency-response system, and will not need the level of U.S. assistance that Haiti did, but the State Department expects the Chilean government to request help with a field hospital and satellite-communications equipment.

Clinton will also visit Brazil, Costa Rica and Guatemala to meet newly elected leaders and face a wave of grievances with the United States, including climate change, trade and last year's coup in Honduras. The most crucial visit for the United States will be with President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva of Brazil, whom Clinton will try to persuade to vote for tougher sanctions against Iran in the United Nations Security Council. Brazil recently announced that it opposed the sanctions and has expanded its ties to the government in Tehran.

Tagged: brazil, chile, clinton, daily guidance, DailyGuidance, earthquake, hillary clinton, HillaryClinton, latin america, LatinAmerica, south america, SouthAmerica

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