Obama pledges anti-drug funding on El Salvador visit Skip to main content

Obama pledges anti-drug funding on El Salvador visit

Barack Obama and Salvadoran President Mauricio Funes Mr Obama was full of praise for Salvadoran President Mauricio Funes

Related Stories

US President Barack Obama - on a visit to El Salvador - has promised $200m (£122m) to fight drug trafficking and gang violence in Central America.
Mr Obama said the programme would tackle the poverty and social factors that drive young people towards crime.
He also promised new measures to boost trade and economic cooperation with the region.
Mr Obama will return to Washington earlier than scheduled on Wednesday to deal with the crisis in Libya.
He is in El Salvador on the third and final leg of a tour of Latin America that has also taken him to Brazil and Chile.
President Obama announced the new Central American Citizen's Security Partnership after talks with Salvadoran President Mauricio Funes.
He said it would help strengthen courts and the rule of law with support from other nations including Chile, Colombia and Mexico.
Along with neighbouring Honduras and Guatemala, El Salvador is plagued by violence, much of it linked to drug trafficking gangs.
'Old divisions' The two leaders also discussed immigration.
Mr Obama praised the contribution of around 2m Salvadorans who live and work in the US, and reiterated his support for comprehensive immigration reform.
He also commended Mr Funes for his "courageous work to overcome old divisions in Salvadoran society" and for his vision of economic growth and social progress.
"The US wants to be a partner in this process," he said. "We want El Salvador to be successful."
The US president later toured the National Cathedral in the capital, San Salvador, and visited the tomb of Archbishop Oscar Romero.
An outspoken advocate for the poor and backer of political reform, the archbishop was assassinated in March 1980 after celebrating Mass.
The killing came at the start of a 12-year internal conflict between a US-backed military government and left-wing rebels in which around 75,000 people died.
Mr Funes, who was elected in 2009, is a leader of the former rebel movement, the FMLN.
But despite his left-wing roots, he does not share the suspicion and hostility towards US "imperialism" expressed by Latin American leftists such as Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez.
In Chile on Monday, Mr Obama called for a "new era of partnership" with Latin America, and stressed the region's importance to the US, but his tour has been overshadowed by the US-led military action in Libya.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-12823048
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Thai penis whitening trend raises eyebrows

Image copyright LELUXHOSPITAL Image caption Authorities warn the procedure could be quite painful A supposed trend of penis whitening has captivated Thailand in recent days and left it asking if the country's beauty industry is taking things too far. Skin whitening is nothing new in many Asian countries, where darker skin is often associated with outdoor labour, therefore, being poorer. But even so, when a clip of a clinic's latest intriguing procedure was posted online, it quickly went viral. Thailand's health ministry has since issued a warning over the procedure. The BBC Thai service spoke to one patient who had undergone the treatment, who told them: "I wanted to feel more confident in my swimming briefs". The 30-year-old said his first session of several was two months ago, and he had since seen a definite change in the shade. 'What for?' The original Facebook post from the clinic offering the treatment, which uses lasers to break do...
1 comment
Read more

Ancient Rakhine City of Mrauk-U Proposed for UNESCO World Heritage Site

The Irrawaddy YANGON—Myanmar’s Ministry of Religious Affairs and Culture submitted the final draft of its nomination for Mrauk-U to become a World Heritage Site to UNESCO on Monday, four months after the ministry submitted the first draft of its nomination in September 2019. If the application succeeds, Mrauk-U will be the third place in Myanmar to be inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, after the ancient cities of Bagan and Pyu. Mrauk-U is located in northern Rakhine State, around 60 km from the state capital of Sittwe. The ancient city was the seat of Arakanese kings from the 1400s until the late 1700s. At the height of their power, they controlled an area covering large parts of eastern Bengal, modern-day Rakhine State and the western part of central Myanmar. Much of the city’s remains are well-preserved and some 380 historic temples are scattered between the lush hills of northern Rakhine. Mrauk-U Heritage Trust chairwoman Daw Khin Than told The Irrawaddy on Tue...
1 comment
Read more

Sri Bhaddanta Chandramani Mahathera

The Life Story of A Distinguished And Outstanding Bhikkhu The Most Venerable Saradawpharagree Sri Bhaddanta Chandramani Mahathera The Buddhist missionary Saradaw Ashin U Chandramani was endowed with great gifts and led a famous and long life. He was a very well known, distinguished and outstanding Bhikkhu Mahathera. While living in the Kushinagar Monastery, a place close to where the Lord Buddha had passed away to Nirvana, the Government of India had offered, and he had accepted, the highest, most honourable and respected title "Guru Guru MahaGuru". He became the first ever President of all Buddhists in India.A World Buddhist Conference took place in Kathmandu during the reign of King Mahindra of Nepal. The Conference was very well attended by over one hundred thousand Buddhists from various parts of the world and it was opened by King Mahindra himself. As requested by the King, Saradawpharagree blessed all the participants with the power of Triple Gems...
Post a Comment
Read more