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Trump sparks ire, distrust in Latin America

Xinhua | Updated: 2017-01-12 16:15

"What seems obvious is that Cuba is not an immediate priority for Trump. Given the unknown decisions he will take concerning our country, the process of normalization of ties will either advance or regress, which is concerning," said Tania Orozco, a state worker.

She also noted Trump's famed intransigence and sympathized with Mexico.

"What ... caught my attention was his inflexibility and authoritarianism in building a wall along the Mexican border. He said that country has taken advantage of the U.S., when we all know it is the exact opposite," said Orozco.

Also on Wednesday, Trump's nominee for Secretary of State, Rex Tillerson, appeared in front of the Senate for his confirmation hearings. Referring to Cuba, Tillerson said he would recommend Trump veto any legislation proposed by Obama to make the rapprochement between the two sides inevitable.

The former head of oil giant, ExxonMobil, revealed that Trump would likely revise relations with Havana through an executive order, shortly after assuming office.

Furthermore, Tillerson said that a proposal to lift the ban on Americans travelling to Cuba, proposed by Obama, would not be rapidly approved.

Finally, the potential Secretary of State said he would advise Trump to halt any attempts to lift the trade embargo on Cuba and to carefully examine why Cuba was removed from the list of state sponsors of terrorism in 2015.

Further south in Argentina, political observers also felt Trump's defiant off-the-cuff remarks to the media generated doubt and uncertainty around the globe.

"The world has been expecting a change of course in the world's leading economy," said economist Maria Cecilia Peralta, "but following this press conference, doubts about prompt changes and structural decisions are generating even more anxiety due to their global impact."

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