MS HOUSTON: Greetings and welcome. I'm Mignon Houston, the deputy spokesperson at the Department of State. I am honored to serve as your moderator for today's background briefing with senior State Department officials discussing Secretary Marco Rubio's first trip.[i] This trip is an exciting opportunity to underscore the U.S. Government's deep commitment to our Western Hemisphere. We are honored to be joined today by distinguished guests. We have Mauricio Claver-Carone, the special envoy for Latin America.
Before we begin, I would like to outline a few key ground rules at the top. This is an on-the-record call. Information may be attributed to the special envoy, identified by name and title. We ask that the contents of the call be embargoed until the conclusion of today's call. Thank you for your understanding.
