Saturday, March 19, 2011

Obama arrives in Brazil at the start of his tour of Latin America

WASHINGTON, Mar. 19 (Reuters) - U.S. President, Barack Obama, has come to Brazil on Saturday to begin his first tour of the continent since he took power more than two years with visits to Brazil, Chile and El Salvador, with the aim of trying to regain economic leadership in a region now facing a renewed role for China.

Obama will come to these countries where many question what they can offer to this continent that feels increasingly independent, while the White House focused its attention on unrest in the Middle East, the nuclear crisis in Japan and domestic economic problems. The tour, which starts Saturday and ends on March 23, will include stops in Brazil, the South American power, Chile, a successful example of free market economy, and the small Central American state of El Salvador, which has millions of Mexicans living in U.S.

territory. Obama's challenge will be to convince Latin Americans - who have always felt that their countries are "back yard" of the U.S. - on its commitment to prioritize trade and investment compared to a strong initiative in China by stomp the region. The tour also has important policy implications for the leading economic power.

White House defends Latin America as a fertile market for increasing exports, that Obama considered the right track to create jobs, which is crucial to their chances of re-election contest in 2012. But the region - underpinned by a growth rate over the United States - is diversifying not only economically, but is showing that is no longer willing to follow directives from Washington.

"We can not ignore the Western Hemisphere or take it for granted, because other people are moving quickly and effectively," said Eric Farnsworth, vice president of the Council of the Americas. UNFULFILLED EXPECTATIONS expectations Obama created the Summit of the Americas in Trinidad - held in 2009 - when he promised a "fair society" with Latin America based on mutual respect and shared values.

Your message has been seen as a change of tone in a relationship that was often characterized by abuse of U.S. military and economic power for much of the twentieth century and evolved into a politics of forgetfulness when many countries went through transition to democracy after military rule.

Although Washington's image has improved compared to the era of President George W. Bush and Obama is still popular, diplomatic progress have not materialized, as hopes for meaningful relief that the U.S. embargo on Cuba remains more than 50 years to reform immigration laws. It also shows that there is frustration at the failure of Obama to persuading the U.S.

Congress to pass stalled trade agreements with Colombia and Panama as well as the confused response to the coup in Honduras in June 2009. Concerned by the crisis abroad, the budget battles in Congress and his own desire to win re-election, Latin America seems to have lost importance in the agenda of Obama.

However, the White House insists that it has been "deeply compromised" by organizing regular meetings with the leaders of the region in world summits. "The other countries want to see the United States engaged in international economic affairs and to show leadership," he stated to the press deputy national security adviser to Obama, Mike Froman.

"I think the president has done that," he added. U.S. officials hope the Obama tour - the largest in the region since assuming the presidency - Provide reassurance to its neighbors and strengthen relationships. NEW REALITY While the visit will be sweetened with trade agreements and supplementary agreements, the result will be more symbolic than substantive.

It will highlight the era in which the U.S. had an irrefutable opinion on economic matters has been completed. China and India are gaining presence in the region. The demand for raw materials in their countries is helping to drive Latin American growth, which in the past was far behind the United States.

Recognition of this trend is reflected in the choice of Brazil, the largest economy in the region and an emerging world power, as the first stop Obama. U.S. officials say the president wants to use the trip to repair relations since the Brazilian president, Dilma Rousseff, took over last January, leaving behind the tensions during the presidency of Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, among other things, opening Iran.

Rousseff, a pragmatic leftist politics, has been more inclined to Washington than to anti-American leaders like Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, but still is expected to require results to Obama. After China surpass U.S. as biggest trading partner of Brazil, the Obama administration is determined to use his visit to shore up U.S.

interests. "This trip is primarily for recovery and U.S. exports and the critical relationship to Latin American in our economic future and (creating) jobs," said Froman. CHILE Y EL SALVADOR The visit to Chile exalt the model of market reform and stability supported by the United States since the South American country emerged from military dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet (1973-1990).

Obama used Santiago as the setting for a speech on Latin American policy. After Chile, Obama will travel to El Salvador. Mauricio Funes The Government is led by a former leftist rebel movement that opposed Washington during the Salvadoran civil war. On this trip Washington will seek to change course and mark a milestone in bilateral relations.

The route of transmitting the message Obama wants to avoid seeing the region through the ideological prism that prevailed during the administration of his predecessor, Bush. Although the visit to El Salvador will also focus on the problems generated by poverty and the spread of Mexico's war against drug trafficking, there is little prospect of a new commitment of assistance due to U.S.

economic difficulties. In some countries excluded from the tour could arise grudges. For example, some Argentine media described the election of Obama's visit two neighboring pro-market as a rebuff to President Cristina Fernández and interventionist economic policies.

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