Leaders from 34 American nations gathered on Monday in Monterrey for two-day summit as well as a flurry of face-to-face talks, aimed at deepening ties

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."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 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.

Chavez told reporters on Monday that the United States was suffering from a "lack of information"and suffered "great contradictions"in its attitude toward his country.

Free trade row

Disagreements over free trade and penalties for corrupt nations caused deepening rifts between country leaders attending the summit.

Soon after arriving in Monterrey, Mexico, Chavez said he believed the summit was a "waste of time."Officials spent most of Monday meeting with their counterparts on everything from land disputes to security measures.

The US wants the summit declaration to call for a firm 2005 deadline for finishing negotiations on a Free Trade Area of the Americas, a hemisphere-wide trade zone that is one of Bush's top policy goals for Latin America.

Brazil and Venezuela say the summit is not the place to discuss it, and Venezuela instead was pushing 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 pact, known as the FTAA, should be included in the summit's agenda.

Ties growing stronger

At the summit's final declaration, leaders made an effort 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 programme and Bush asked his counterpart to visit him at his Texas ranch in March.

Prior to the summit's opening, the American leaders spent most of the day on Monday meeting with their counterparts.

Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin said the countries should work for a "more secure and prosperous world for all of us,"and "maintain our commitment to the social safety net."Another sticking point at the summit is remittances, or money sent home by migrants living in the US. While all summit participants agree that the fees for sending money home should be cut in half, they haven't been able to settle on a deadline to meet that goal.

US busy to warm ties

Having patched the fractures in his friendship with Mexico, President Bush is tending to troubled relations with other Latin American leaders "who often are skeptical of US intentions, and sometimes aren't shy about saying so.

US accomplishments at the summit might amount to "a little more than damage control,"says Carol Graham, who studies Latin American politics and economics at the Brookings Institution in Washington.

Before returning to Washington on Tuesday evening local time, Bush also will meet with Argentina's President Nestor Kirchner, who has said that his nation is no longer interested in "automatic alignment"with US policy.

Bush's third meeting Tuesday on the sidelines of the summit is with Bolivian President Carlos Mesa.

Privately, Bush administration officials worry that Chavez is working with Cuba to oppose pro-American democracies in the region.

"Although there have been some successes, the majority of the countries in the region are more hostile to the US than they have been in decades,"said Pamela Falk, who teaches international law, migration and trade policy at City University of New York.

Bush is continuing his hardline stance against Cuba, the only nation in the hemisphere not invited to the summit.

Bush also had a 30-minute meeting with Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. In another meeting with Chilean President Ricardo Lagos, Bush applauded the signing last year of a free-trade pact between the two nations.

US vs Canada, Mexico

Canada's new prime minister Paul Martin was scheduled to meet privately with US President Bush on Tuesday local time. He will try to improve rocky ties with Washington while pressing on a number of trade disputes when he holds the crucial meeting with Bush in Mexico's Monterrey.

Martin took over last month from Jean Chretien, who infuriated Bush by staying out of the Iraq war and by not reprimanding legislators who criticized the US leader. US officials say they are happy with the overall state of ties between the world's two largest trading partners, but made it clear they are not sorry Chretien is gone.

Meanwhile, Bush and Mexico's Fox found agreement on the contentious issues of immigration and Iraq, ending two years of discord that followed the September 11 terrorist attacks.

The two leaders met before the opening of a summit.

Fox's spokesman, Agustin Gutierrez, said the tone of the bilateral meeting marked a "80-degree turn"from recent months.

Fox's trip north will be his first official trip to Bush's home.

(China Daily 01/14/2004 page7)