WASHINGTON (voa) – President Bush is back in Washington after a landmark Latin American tour focused on unity in combating narcotics smuggling and terrorism and increasing trade to boost economies.
On Sunday in El Salvador, Mr. Bush capped the four-day tour by pledging to press the U.S. Congress to approve the Free Trade of the Americas agreement to improve economic conditions throughout the Western hemisphere.
Mr. Bush had a working luncheon with the leaders from El Salvador, Belize, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Honduras and Panama. Officials say the leaders discussed the separate Central American trade agreement that Mr. Bush proposed in January.
During a joint news conference, Mr. Bush thanked Salvadoran President Francisco Flores for strengthening El Salvador’s borders and putting a freeze on suspected terrorist assets following the September 11th terror attacks on the United States.
On Saturday, Mr. Bush became the first sitting U.S. president to visit Peru. In Lima, Mr. Bush thanked his Peruvian counterpart, Alejandro Toledo, for support in the war against terrorism. The U.S. leader also met with the leaders from Bolivia, Ecuador and Colombia on expanding trade, and fighting terrorism and drug trafficking.
During his tour, President Bush also attended a regional summit in Monterrey, Mexico, sponsored by the United Nations. In Monterrey, Mr. Bush said he would also press Congress to approve an extra 10-billion-dollars over the next three years for a special foreign aid fund for poor countries.
President Bush dismissed claims by opposition Democrats that the Latin American tour was an effort to gain the support of Hispanic voters for upcoming congressional elections.
