08 February 2007
Bush To Visit Latin America March 8–14
Trade, energy, security to top agenda on president’s five-nation tour
Washington -- President Bush will travel to Latin America from March 8–14, visiting Brazil, Uruguay, Colombia, Guatemala and Mexico.
“This trip will underscore the commitment of the United States to the Western Hemisphere and will highlight our common agenda to advance freedom, prosperity, and social justice and deliver the benefits of democracy in the areas of health, education, and economic opportunity,” White House spokesman Tony Snow told reporters February 8.
Bush will begin his trip in São Paulo, Brazil, where he will meet with President Luíz Inacio “Lula” da Silva. Snow said the leaders will discuss a range of issues, including energy and trade.
Bush then will travel to Montevideo, Uruguay, to meet with President Tabaré Vázquez, who visited the president in Washington in May 2006.
Next, Snow said, Bush will travel to Bogotá, Colombia, where he will meet with President Álvaro Uribe and underscore the United States’ continuing commitment to supporting Colombia’s battle against narco-terrorism and efforts to improve the lives of the Colombian people.
From there, the president will visit Guatemala, where he will meet with President Oscar Berger, and emphasize the long, close historical relationship between the two countries.
The president will conclude his trip with a visit to Mexico “to emphasize our strong partnership with Mexico and to demonstrate support for President Felipe Calderón’s efforts to address poverty and income inequality, restore law and order, fight the common threat of drug trafficking, and strengthen the economic relationship between the United States and Mexico,” Snow said.
For additional details, see the full text of the White House announcement of the president’s trip.
For more information, see The Americas.
(Distributed by the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
