Honduras Holds Two Regional Summits
Ministers from Central America, Mexico, Dominican Republic and Colombia are preparing for two regional summits which will take place Wednesday and Thursday in this capital.

The first is the 7th Summit for Heads of State and Government of the Mechanism of Dialogue and Co-ordination of Tuxtla-Gutierrez, which will be held Wednesday, June 29.

The second is the 25th Ordinary Assembly for the System of Central American Integration (SICA) scheduled for Thursday, June 30.

Attending the June 29 meeting will be Central American presidents, special guest Colombian president Alvaro Uribe, President Vicente Fox of Mexico, and a representative for Dominican President Leonel Fernandez.

The topics to be discussed range from security to trade, advised the Honduran Presidential House Tuesday.

The Agreement of Tuxtla-Gutierrez, first held in 1991 in the Mexican state of Chiapas, is a space for political dialogue between Central American countries and Mexico.

At this meeting they will discuss the problem of youth gangs in Central America, Mexico and some cities in US, who are popularly known as "maras".

They will also analyze the progress of the Puebla Panama Plan (PPP), a neo-liberal initiative by Vicente Fox to link the southern Mexican states with the seven Central American countries.

To facilitate investment and exploitation of resources, PPP wants to integrate productive infrastructures in several economic sectors in Central America and the south of Mexico.

The presence of Uribe demonstrates Colombian interest in joining PPP, to build a gas pipeline and promote a competition program to train workers.

On the SICA summit, Honduran Foreign Minister Leonidas Rosa Bautista said discussions would be centered on security and democracy.

Presidents and Heads of Government will analyze the creation of a rapid response force against drug-trafficking and terrorism, a project elaborated by the Ministers of Defense, Security and Interior.

Costa Rican President Abel Pacheco said in San Jose his country would not join this regional military-political force.

The SICA members will also discuss a proposal to create unique Central American passports and visas, and a regional arrest warrant for traffickers and terrorists, and illegal migrations to the US.

The situation in Nicaragua will receive attention, especially regional implications regarding constitutionality, state of law, and democratic practice.

It is expected that Central American Presidents will support Nicaraguan President Enrique Bolanos, who refuses to negotiate with the local opposition, and insists on not recognizing the authority of the Nicaraguan Parliament and Supreme Court of Justice.

Honduran President Ricardo Maduro is scheduled to hand over the SICA temporary presidency to Enrique Bolanos, for him to execute the decisions made at this SICA summit.