Montevideo, May 10 (RHC) – Uruguayan president Jose Mujica is travelling to the United States over the weekend and on Monday will be walking into the White House for a sixty minutes meeting with President Barack Obama.
According to Uruguayan sources, partly confirmed by the U.S. embassy in Montevideo, Mujica's agenda with Obama includes addressing issues of trade, Latin American politics, the legalization of marijuana in Uruguay, education, and requesting U.S. support in a Uruguay/Philip Morris tobacco dispute. The Uruguayan leader has also reportedly expressed his willingness to accept some of the prisoners at the Guantanamo prison as refugees.
Regarding politics, Mujica announced in Uruguay he would like to explain to Obama how and why the U.S. has lost influence in Latin America; as well as exchange ideas regarding the Venezuelan situation and support for the Maduro administration, and the complicated relations of Uruguay with Argentina.
Following the White House meeting, Mujica will be interviewed by CNN and later is scheduled to share lunch with Vice President Joseph Biden and Secretary of State John Kerry.
The Uruguayan president will spend five days in Washington, where he has scheduled a long list of meetings and conferences.
Mujica's delegation includes several ministers, Foreign Affairs, Economy, Industry and Energy, Public Health, union leaders, business people and even the director of Uruguay's ballet school, the renowned Julio Bocca, and first dancer Maria Noel Ricetto. The idea is to obtain sponsors to organize a tour of the U.S. with the Uruguayan Ballet.