Obama Departs El Salvador Skip to main content

Obama Departs El Salvador

U.S. President Barack Obama is headed back to the United States, as he continues to deal with the crisis in Libya.

Mr. Obama cut short his visit to El Salvador by a few hours, skipping a tour of ancient Mayan ruins, to focus on coalition air strikes meant to protect Libyan civilians.

In an interview broadcast Wednesday on the Spanish language Univision network, Mr. Obama said the U.S. will start pulling back from its leading role in the international effort in Libya. He also said the U.S. will not send ground troops to Libya to end the violence.

Separately, Mr. Obama told CNN he hoped the air strikes would give the Libyan rebels a chance to organize.

The president has come under criticism for leaving the United States before the coalition air strikes began. The strikes are now in their fifth day. Members of Congress have also faulted him for not seeking their authorization before undertaking the military operation.

Tuesday, Mr. Obama met President Mauricio Funes in San Salvador. Mr. Obama promised a new partnership across Central America to increase trade, target drug trafficking and create job opportunities.

The five-day tour, which also included Brazil and Chile, was designed to re-establish U.S. leadership in the region. All three countries on the trip have undergone political transformations over the past decades.

Mr. Obama highlighted a U.S. pledge to provide $200 million to Central America so governments in the region can better police their borders and expand community anti-gang programs.

He also said comprehensive immigration reform in the United States, including addressing the millions of undocumented workers in the country, is the right thing to do. He said he will continue to push for it, but acknowledged that the politics of the issue are not easy.

The United States has more than two million immigrants from El Salvador, both legal and illegal.

Following his meeting with President Funes, Mr. Obama made a highly symbolic visit to the grave of Archbishop Oscar Romero, the revered Catholic figure who was assassinated in 1980 by a member of a right-wing death squad. Romero spoke out against repression by the U.S.-backed Salvadoran army during El Salvador's 12-year civil war.

http://www.voanews.com/english/news/americas/Obama-Departs-El-Salvador-118517454.html
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Chronology of the Press in Burma

1836 – 1846 * During this period the first English-language newspaper was launched under British-ruled Tenasserim, southern  Burma . The first ethnic Karen-language and Burmese-language newspapers also appear in this period.     March 3, 1836 —The first English-language newspaper,  The Maulmain Chronicle , appears in the city of Moulmein in British-ruled Tenasserim. The paper, first published by a British official named E.A. Blundell, continued up until the 1950s. September 1842 —Tavoy’s  Hsa-tu-gaw  (the  Morning Star ), a monthly publication in the Karen-language of  Sgaw ,  is established by the Baptist mission. It is the first ethnic language newspaper. Circulation reached about three hundred until its publication ceased in 1849. January 1843 —The Baptist mission publishes a monthly newspaper, the Christian  Dhamma  Thadinsa  (the  Religious Herald ), in Moulmein. Supposedly the first Burmese-language newspaper, it continued up until the first year of the second Angl
Post a Comment
Read more

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

Is 160 enough? One Indian man's family

By Sumnima Udas , CNN October 31, 2011 -- Updated 0857 GMT (1657 HKT) Ziona, center, with his has 39 wives, 86 children and 35 grandchildren in rural Baktwang village, India. STORY HIGHLIGHTS One man in India is the patriarch of a family of 160 in rural India Ziona, who only goes by his first name, has 39 wives, 86 children and 35 grandchildren. Ziona's father, Chana, founded the Christian sect in Baktwang that promotes polygamy "I never wanted to get married but that's the path God has chosen for me" Mizoram, India (CNN) -- The world's population hits 7 billion this week, but Ziona, the patriarch of what may be the biggest family in the world, is not bothered. "I don't care about overpopulation in India ... I believe God has chosen us to be like this (have big families). Those who are born into this family don't want to leave this tradition so we just keep growing and growing," he says with a smile. Ziona, who only goes by his f
Post a Comment
Read more