Blinken to woo Latin America's new leftist leaders, reassert U.S. commitment

WASHINGTON, Oct 2 (Reuters) - Secretary of State Antony Blinken heads to Latin America on Monday to reassert Washington's commitment to the region and meet with three new leftist leaders, amid concerns that neglect of the hemisphere has let China make economic inroads.

Officials remain hopeful that Latin America's new leftist leaders will not govern as ideological firebrands and instead continue to maintain a free-enterprise-friendly approach and nurture U.S.

"We are not judging countries based on where they fall on the political spectrum, but rather their commitment to democracy, the rule of law and human rights," Assistant Secretary Brian Nichols, the State Department's top diplomat on the Western Hemisphere, said in a briefing call.

"And I would note that we are also visiting three countries that have been longtime vital trade partners of the United States, countries with free trade agreements with the United States ...

"This (the trip) reflects the interest of the United States to pay more attention to Latin America, and specifically South America in this case, in terms of the deepening relationship there is with China," said Guillermo Holzmann, a Chilean academic and political analyst.

Its new leftist president, former rebel Gustavo Petro, has derided the U.S.-led war on drugs as a failure and called for a new international approach.

Petro has also moved to re-engage diplomatically and economically with the government of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, despite U.S.

Regarding Petro's calls to end the war on drugs, Nichols said Washington strongly supports "a health and science based approach" to counter narcotics.

And we believe that President Petro strongly shares that goal," Nichols said.

"We hope for strong support from all member states on the resolution on Ukraine," Nichols said.

Chilean President Gabriel Boric received the credentials of Israel's new ambassador on Friday afternoon, two weeks after a diplomatic dispute after the ceremony was postponed due to the death of a young Palestinian.