Central American presidents gather in Honduras

Presidents Oscar Arias, Alvaro Colom, Daniel Ortega, Antonio Saca, and Manuel Zelaya gathered on Saturday in Tegucigalpa, Honduras for a special summit of the Central American Integration System (SICA). Presidential envoys from Panama, Belize and the Dominican Republic attended, as well.

The summit was designed to forge a regional response to pending issues of mutual import, such as fiscal responses to the US economic crisis, integration efforts to increase intra-regional commerce, and new alliances with international actors aside from the economically-shaken US.

The meeting of presidents, which followed a technical meeting of ministers and experts on Friday, resulted in a special declaration, signed by each of the heads of state, which stipulated 7 main agreements:

1) Defend and strengthen intra-regional commerce, which is currently on the rise

2) Seek concrete mechanisms through the SICA and national economic ministries to support continued growth in intra-regional commerce.

3) Urge the SICA's banking entity (BCIE) to extend credit lines of up to $200 million to national central banks, as well as the same amount to private lenders, in order to combat the negative effects of the international economic crisis, as well as the onset food security crisis.

4) Urge the SICA to continue its push for increased regional integration where possible in order to shore up individual / national vulnerabilities.

5) Encourage the SICA's council of ministers to design a regional plan (in the next month) that will help mitigate the effects of the international economic crisis on the region's employment rate, agricultural production, and overall economic productivity.

6) Seek concrete mechanisms for national ministers to stimulate agricultural production and social and public investment in social and economic programs.

7) Encourage the SICA's council of ministers to seek alliances with countries in thee South, Asia, and the Caribbean.

Popular reaction to the meetings was mixed; some officials noted that the summit represented a concerted and solid first step towards a regional response, while others considered the meeting and its resolution devoid of any substantial or action-oriented measure.

Sources: El Heraldo, AFP, Prensa Latina, Xinhua Net, Sica.int