Guatemala has all the judicial procedures ready to extradite the drug lord, and will soon send a formal request to Mexico through diplomatic channels, an official with Guatemala's supreme court said.

The official told the press the drug lord, who is on top of Guatemala's wanted list, should first be tried by a Guatemalan court.

On US request, the Mexican police captured the drug lord on April 21 at Mexico City's international airport.

Mexican procurator's office identified the drug lord as a major link for smuggling drugs from Colombia to the United States.
 

More leaders hail Venezuela's recall referendum
More leaders of various countries and international organizations lauded Venezuela's recall referendum on Tuesday, and some sent congratulations to President Hugo Chavez on his victory in the voting.

UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan hailed on Tuesday the peaceful conduct of Venezuela's referendum on Chavez's mandate and called on Chavez supporters and opponents to continue resolving their differences through dialogue.

In a statement, UN spokesman Stephanie Dujarric said Annan also welcomed the fact that an unprecedented number of Venezuelans demonstrated "a great sense of responsibility and respect for democratic values" by participating in the poll.

"The secretary-general once again appeals to all Venezuelans to settle all matters related to the referendum in the same civic and democratic spirit that prevailed during the voting," the spokesman said.

Chavez survived the referendum on whether he would remain in office after winning 58 percent of the votes, according to results released by Venezuela's National Electoral Council. The results were confirmed by the Organization of American States (OAS) and former US President Jimmy Carter.

Cuba and Algeria have sent congratulations to Chavez on his victory in Sunday's referendum.

In an official statement on Tuesday, the Cuban government congratulated Chavez and described the referendum as a great victory. The Venezuelans gave the world "a historic lesson on the practice of a real democracy and national sovereignty," it said.

The Algerian Press Service reported on Tuesday that President Abdelaziz Bouteflika sent a congratulatory message to Chavez, saying the Venezuelan people displayed their confidence in Chavez once again in the referendum.

The Group of Friends of Venezuela congratulated Venezuela's political forces on holding the recall referendum in a "transparent and peaceful" way.

A communique from the public relations office of the Brazilian Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday that the group, made up by Brazil,Chile, Mexico, Portugal, Spain and the United States, defended the official results of the referendum.

It added that the Venezuelans took an important step towards national reconciliation.

The Andean Community (Ancom) Tuesday lauded the maturity showed by the Venezuelan people and government in the referendum.

Besides validating results of the ballots, the Ancom said, the voting is a great opportunity for the Venezuelan people and government to open up a new era of negotiations and working together to face challenges and strengthen democratic governance.

Chilean President Ricardo Lagos said on Tuesday that the referendum in Venezuela will enable Latin America to strengthen the democratic system.

Lagos said he talked with Chavez on Monday night and expressed satisfaction over the democratic way found by Venezuela to solve problems through the recall referendum. The president believed it is an example which will strengthen the democratic system of the
region.

Also on Tuesday, Venezuelan election officials agreed to conduct a sample audit of the results of the recall referendum to clear up opposition charges that Chavez won the vote by fraud.

Venezuela's National Electoral Council, the Carter Center and the OAS will conduct an audit of the results from 150 polling stations, said a spokesman for the OAS.

"The OAS and the Carter Center have agreed to audit a sample of paper records of votes cast and compare them with electronic results," the spokesman said.

Former US President Jimmy Carter, who led an observer mission here, also announced Tuesday that the Venezuelan authorities will conduct a random audit of the referendum results.
 

Brazilian, Central American and Caribbean leaders meet
Brazilian, Central American and the Caribbean leaders met Tuesday morning at the National Palace of Santo Domingo to discuss regional integration, poverty and foreign debt, said reports from Santo Domingo, capital of Dominican Republic.

At the meeting, President of the Dominican Republic Leonel Fernandez, who took oath on Monday, and the visiting leaders talked about the negotiations for a Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA), regional integration and the effects of globalization.

Brazil proposed to hold negotiations on a free trade agreement between the Common Market of the South (Mercosur), and the countries of Central America and the Caribbean. At the end of the meeting the leaders will sign the Declaration of Santo Domingo.
 

Death toll in Paraguay's supermarket fire rises to 368
The number of dead and missing people from the supermarket fire on the outskirts of Asuncion, Paraguay, rose to 368, reports reaching here said Tuesday.

Two women and two men recently died from their injuries caused by the fire in Ycua Bolanos supermarket on Aug. 1.

The official updated number of identified individuals -- whose bodies were given to their families -- was 319, while there still are 49 missing people, said Prosecutor Teresa Sosa, who is in charge of investigation.

Sosa added that DNA samples have also been taken from 43 human remains for identification.

In addition, the Attorney General's office confirmed that the gates of the supermarket were immediately locked when the fire broke out, thus blocking the escape exits for the people inside the building.

"It is possible to conclude from the evidence collected on the spot that the gates were locked" when the fire started, said forensic experts carrying out the investigation.

The results will be used to file a charge against the supermarket's owner and four security guards who closed the gates "to prevent looting."