President Biden invites Brazil’s Lula to White House

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Colombian plan to release protesters sparks controversy

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Lula’s promise of a ministry of indigenous people in doubt

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Mexico could struggle to secure non-GM corn imports by 2024

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Brazil’s transition sees no need for emergency move at Petrobras

Dec 5 (Reuters) –

The latest in Latin American politics today:

Biden invites Brazilian president-elect to the White House

BRASILIA/WASHINGTON – U.S. President Joe Biden invited Brazil’s President-elect Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva to visit the White House, which may happen after he takes office on Jan. 1.

U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan met with the incoming leftist leader, known as Lula, in Brasilia for almost two hours. They discussed strengthening democracy in the Americas, combating climate change and addressing political conflicts in Haiti and Venezuela.

Sullivan extended the invitation for Lula to visit Washington on behalf of Biden, the White House said, and Lula welcomed the invitation on social media.

A White House statement did not specific a date for the visit.

Push to call Colombian protesters ‘peace managers’ stirs pot

BOGOTA – Colombia President Gustavo Petro drew both criticism and support after he announced plans to name dozens of youths as “peace managers,” paving the way for their release.

Petro, Colombia’s first leftist president, took power in August. During his campaign, he promised to release dozens of young people prosecuted and imprisoned for participating in demonstrations last year.

Designating the imprisoned youths so-called peace managers would see them freed from jail, though Justice Minister Nestor Ivan Osuna said they will have to meet certain conditions once released.

Lula’s promised ministry of indigenous people up in the air

BRASILIA – Brazil’s indigenous leaders were disappointed after Lula appeared to backtrack on a promise to create an indigenous affairs ministry.

Lula said on Friday he might instead decide on a special department linked to the presidential office rather than a fully-fledged ministry, which disappointed indigenous community leaders.

“It was a campaign promise by Lula and we are still working on building a ministry of the first peoples,” said Dinamam Tuxa, a lawyer for the largest indigenous umbrella group, the Articulation of Indigenous Peoples of Brazil (APIB).

Sonia Guajajara, an APIB leader who in October became only the third indigenous person ever elected to Congress, said a working group in Lula’s transition team will present a proposal for the ministry next week, but she does not expect any announcement until after the day he takes office on Jan. 1.

Mexico could struggle to secure non-GM corn imports by 2024

MEXICO CITY – Mexico could achieve its goal of replacing half its import needs with non-genetically modified corn but would struggle to meet the deadline for a controversial ban and could suffer a bout of fresh inflation for its key staple crop, experts told Reuters.

Mexico, which imports about 17 million tonnes of mostly genetically modified (GM) corn from the United States, has a presidential decree that would phase out GM corn and the herbicide glyphosate by Jan. 31, 2024. Supporters of the ban say GM seeds can contaminate Mexico’s age-old native varieties, and legal battles alleging glyphosate-based weed killers cause cancer have been fought in U.S. courts for years.

Brazilian transition sees no need for urgent Petrobras move

RIO DE JANEIRO – The transition team for Brazil’s President-elect Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva sees no need for any emergency move at state-run oil company Petrobras, according to sources, after a meeting between Lula’s team and top company management.

The state-run oil giant briefed Lula’s transition team on fuel pricing policy, according to the sources close to the matter. Chief Executive Caio Paes de Andrade, who is undergoing cancer treatment, did not attend the meeting, they added. (Compiled by Steven Grattan and Brendan O’Boyle; Editing by Sam Holmes)