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Obama praises Salvadoran leader Funes
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| Published on Tuesday, March 9, 2010 |
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WASHINGTON, USA (AFP) -- US President Barack Obama said Monday he had been impressed with attempts by President Mauricio Funes to bridge political divides as he welcomed the Salvadoran leader to the White House.
Funes, a former journalist, who was the first democratically elected leftist leader of El Salvador for more than 20 years, meanwhile said he hoped to forge a "strategic partnership" with Washington.
"I have been following the president since his election... and have been very favorably impressed by the steps he has taken to try to break down political divisions within the country and move it forward," Obama said.
In a sign of the new links Washington is hoping to forge with the Central American nation, Obama's meeting with Funes was attended by heavy hitters in his cabinet, including Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
Obama said he was committed to building a relationship based on trade and mutual respect with El Salvador, which has been expanding its diplomatic influence in Central and Latin American since Funes was inaugurated last June.
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| El Salvador’s President Muricio Funes speaks during a meeting with US President Barack Obama in the Oval Office of the White House. AFP PHOTO |
He said there had been recent progress in Central America, but Washington remained committed to tackling the root cause of drugs trafficking and not just the symptoms.
"We want to assist in any way we can, in making sure that there's adequate credit and infrastructure and other tools that can bring about the long-term prosperity within El Salvador," Obama said.
Funes also addressed reporters in the Oval Office and said he wanted his country to form a "strategic alliance" with Washington to improve living conditions in his country and fight drugs trafficking.
"Traditionally, Central America has been seen as a migratory problem for the United States.
"But Central America and then particularly El Salvador needs to generate the opportunities of work, in order to be able to keep the people back in El Salvador." | | | | Reads : 106 |
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