Leaders of 34 American nations on Monday pledged to strengthen democracy, fight poverty and corruption and unite against terrorism, despite regional conflicts and cross-border disputes that threaten the unity of the hemisphere.
As one of the first speakers at the two-day Special Summit of the Americas, US President George W. Bush reached out to the rest of Latin America, saying his government was committed to "embracing the challenge ... to bring all the hemisphere's people into an expanding circle of development."
Bush added that all countries "must work to provide quality education and quality health care for all our citizens, especially for those suffering from HIV-AIDS."
PHOTO: AFP
But the president also made reference to the issues that have led many Latin Americans to criticize his administration, including a proposal to ban corrupt nations from the Organization of American States.
"Today, I signed a proclamation denying corrupt officials entry into my country. I urge other countries to take similar actions," he said.
He took aim at Venezuela, whose president, Hugo Chavez, recently accused the US of "sticking its nose" into his country's affairs when it urged that he allow a referendum on recalling him from office.
Bush said the "support of democratic institutions ... gives hope and strength to those struggling to preserve their God-given rights, whether in Venezuela, or Haiti, or Bolivia."
Chavez said Monday that the US was suffering from a "lack of information" and suffered "great contradictions" in its attitude toward his country.
"We are working to make clear to the world what we are," he told reporters after meeting with the Jamaican president.
"Venezuela has a vigorous, participative democracy with a country rebuilding itself from scratch," he said.
Chavez toned down his comments from Sunday, when he said during his weekly TV show that he was worried the US would promote his unconstitutional ouster if the recall referendum didn't succeed.
In addition to opposing the US' anti-corruption initiative, both Venezuela and Brazil have argued against placing a firm deadline in the summit declaration for a free trade agreement of the Americas. Venezuela, which opposes the pact all together, has pushed instead for a humanitarian fund that could be used to help countries during financial and natural disasters.
On Sunday, Mexican president Vicente Fox indicated he didn't believe the trade agreement should be included in the summit's agenda.
Although disagreements on various issues threatened to hold up the summit's final declaration, leaders made an effort on Monday to show that relations between their countries were growing stronger.
The most visible example of that effort came when Fox reiterated his support for Bush's new migration program and Bush asked his counterpart to visit him at his Texas ranch in March. Fox accepted the invitation.
Fox's spokesman, Agustin Gutierrez, said the tone of the bilateral meeting marked a "180-degree turn" from recent months.
Fox told Bush his migration proposal, which calls for giving out temporary work visas to migrants, was a "very courageous step forward," Gutierrez said.
Fox's trip north will be his first official trip to the US president's home. He had planned to travel to Bush's ranch in 2002, but canceled his trip in protest after US authorities refused to halt the execution of a Mexican convicted of killing a Dallas police officer. That, and Fox's refusal to back the Iraq war, strained ties between Mexico and the US.
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