In radio speech, Obama looks to Latin America

US President Barack Obama and Costa Rican President Laura Chinchilla poses with children who sang for them at the Casa Amarilla, foreign ministry, in San Jose.AFP/Costa RicaUS President Barack Obama focused on trade with Latin America and immigration reform in his weekly radio and online talk with the US people. Obama is currently in Costa Rica, where he arrived Friday after visiting Mexico on Thursday. The president plans to return to Washington today. “Latin America represents an incredible opportunity for the US, especially when it comes to my top priority as president: creating good, middle-class jobs,” Obama said. “One of the best ways to grow our economy is to sell more goods and services Made in America to the rest of the world. That includes our neighbors to the south.” More than 40% of US exports go to the Americas, “and those exports are growing faster than our trade with the rest of the world. That’s why I visited Latin America this week - to work with leaders to deepen our economic ties and expand trade between our nations.” Obama said he talked about immigration reform on his stop in Mexico—then quickly moved to discuss the immigration reform bill introduced in the US Senate. The measure, which has yet to clear Congress, strengthens the border, provides a pathway “to earned citizenship” for the approximately 11mn people living illegally in the US, and modernises the immigration system “so that we’re able to reunite families and attract the highly-skilled entrepreneurs and engineers” who can help create jobs and grow the economy. The speech was taped Friday morning in Mexico City, before he travelled to Costa Rica. In Mexico, Obama met with the country’s new president, Enrique Pena Nieto. In San Jose he held talks with the seven leaders of Central American states, plus the Dominican Republic. In both countries Obama talked about trade, though in San Jose the Central American leaders wanted to discuss ways to improve the battle against narco-trafficking. US President Barack Obama vowed Friday to work with Central America to improve the drug fight as he met with regional leaders, conceding that US addiction was partly fuelling violence roiling their nations. Arriving in Costa Rica after visiting Mexico, Obama sought to turn the spotlight on trade ties—yet the drug war was at the centre of his talks with the seven leaders of Central America, plus the Dominican Republic. Before heading into the summit in San Jose’s National Theater, Obama said it was important to ensure that US ties with the region are “not solely defined by this problem, because when it is we’re missing all the opportunities that exist out there.” Obama had struck similar themes during his 24-hour trip in Mexico, highlighting the huge US-Mexican trade ties, vowing to push for immigration reform dear to Latinos and maintain the co-operation against drug cartels. With the cartels wreaking havoc in their nations and turning the region into a hub for US-bound cocaine, Central American leaders wanted to discuss ways to improve the battle against narco-trafficking. “The US recognises that we’ve got responsibilities, that much of the violence in the region is fuelled by demand for illegal drugs, including in the US,” Obama said, adding that US demand was going down but that more progress was needed. The US has provided $500mn in security aid to Central America since 2008, but positive effects are hard to see: the murder rate in the region is currently at a staggering 40 homicides per 100,000 inhabitants, five times the world average. The US military has sent ships to the Pacific and Caribbean to intercept drugs, deployed 200 Marines in Guatemala and shared radar intelligence with Honduras. But top US generals warned that budget cuts could hamper the mission. Obama, however, said he was “not interested in militarising the struggle against drug trafficking” and that part of the solution was through effective law enforcement and co-ordination. The US leader said human and economic development must also be part of the strategy to combat drugs and gangs. “We can’t just have a law-enforcement-only approach,” Obama told his Central American counterparts, adding that building up judicial systems and police forces were important, too. “We also have to have a prevention approach. We have to have an education approach. We have to think creatively because obviously some of the things that we’re doing have worked, but some things haven’t worked,” he said. Chinchilla, whose nation does not have an army, said organised crime must be fought through a more “comprehensive and diverse approach” and “not just the instruments of war.” Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega said: “It is clear that the fundamental issue of interest to all Central Americans is combating poverty. And this creates better conditions to combat drug trafficking.” Guatemalan President Otto Perez, whose idea of legalising drugs is opposed by Central American partners, said he would insist on finding “other alternatives” to combat trafficking. Before arriving in Costa Rica, Obama reiterated his opposition to legalisation. Thousands of people greeted the US leader as his motorcade rolled across the capital, which was under tight security with many shops, schools and government offices shuttered. His three-day trip ended yesterday. Before landing in San Jose, Obama addressed a young audience in Mexico City’s Museum of Anthropology, saying a “new Mexico is emerging” and calling for an end to stereotypes about Mexican violence and illegal border crossings. Turning to a US domestic issue dear to Mexicans, Obama said he was “absolutely convinced” the US Congress would pass immigration reform to bring 11mn undocumented workers—a majority of them Mexicans—out of the shadows.