Obama Concludes Latin America Trips with Trade Focus

U.S. President Barack Obama turned the spotlight on economic ties with Latin America on Saturday as he wrapped up a three-day trip to a region roiled by drug violence.

Obama sought to shift the narrative away from the drug war during visits to Mexico and Costa Rica this week, praising trade as a path to fighting poverty and creating jobs that turn young people away from a life of crime.

The U.S. leader, turning his gaze to domestic issues, also highlighted commerce with neighbors as a way to generate jobs in the United States, one day after a jobs report showed the unemployment rate falling to 7.5 percent.

"Latin America represents an incredible opportunity for the United States, especially when it comes to my top priority as president: creating good, middle-class jobs," Obama said in his weekly radio address.

More than 40 percent of U.S. exports go to the Americas, and U.S. trade there is growing faster than in the rest of the world, he said.

"That's why I visited Latin America this week -- to work with leaders to deepen our economic ties and expand trade between our nations," said Obama, who flies back to Washington later Saturday.

In another message to a domestic audience, the U.S. leader said he discussed immigration in Mexico and insisted that the border between the neighbors was "more secure than it's been in years."

Obama is pressing the U.S. Congress to pass immigration reform to bring 11 million undocumented workers -- most of them from Mexico and Central America -- "out of the shadows" with a path toward citizenship.

The U.S. president had struck similar themes during a 24-hour trip in Mexico, highlighting the huge U.S.-Mexican trade ties, vowing to push for immigration reform dear to Latinos and to maintain the cooperation against drug cartels.

The U.S. leader was scheduled to meet with representatives of the private sector, civil society and the government in San Jose on Saturday, one day after a summit here with Central American leaders.

Obama steered clear of the drug war in his radio address, but after tens of thousands of gang-related killings, Central American leaders wanted to discuss ways to improve the battle against narco-trafficking in Friday's summit.

"The United States recognizes that we've got responsibilities, that much of the violence in the region is fueled by demand for illegal drugs, including in the United States," Obama conceded.

The United States has provided $500 million in security aid to Central America since 2008, but positive effects are hard to see: the murder rate in the region is currently at a staggering 40 homicides per 100,000 inhabitants, five times the world average.

The U.S. leader told his Central American counterparts that human and economic development must also be part of the strategy to combat drugs and gangs.

"We can't just have a law-enforcement-only approach," he said, adding that crime prevention, education and building up judicial systems and police forces should be part of the effort.

"We have to think creatively because obviously some of the things that we're doing have worked, but some things haven't worked," he said.

Chinchilla, whose nation does not have an army, said organized crime must be fought through a more "comprehensive and diverse approach" and "not just the instruments of war."

Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega said: "It is clear that the fundamental issue of interest to all Central Americans is combating poverty. And this creates better conditions to combat drug trafficking."

Guatemalan President Otto Perez, whose idea of legalizing drugs is opposed by Obama and Central American partners, insisted on finding "alternatives" to combat trafficking.