Bush switches focus to Americas

Protesters await world leaders in Monterrey

By Rob Watson BBC Washington Correspondent

President George W Bush came into office promising to take a greater interest in what is often called America's backyard.

He got off to a good start by convincing the region he was serious.

Poverty in Monterrey: Mexico was hit by the US downturn

His first official guest in Washington was the Mexican President, Vicente Fox, and his first foreign summit was the Summit of the Americas in Quebec City.

But the 11 September attacks relegated South America once again to the backwaters of US foreign policy.

His trip to the UN development conference in Monterrey, Mexico - with stops in Peru and El Salvador - is in part an effort to reassert US interest and leadership in the region.

Trade, drugs and immigration are on the agenda for his talks.

Put crudely, the US would like to see less drugs and fewer immigrants coming into the US and more American products going out.

Colombia conflict

In Mexico though, in something of a nod to potential Hispanic voters back home, Mr Bush is likely to reiterate his support for a programme that would allow hundreds of thousands of illegal Mexican immigrants to apply for legal residence in the US.

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An unequal world

Also certain to figure on his travels is the civil war in Colombia.

Many Latin American countries fear greater US military involvement in the Colombian Government's efforts to defeat the left-wing FARC guerrilla group, despite having little sympathy for the guerrillas themselves.

But his visit begins at the conference in Monterrey, where the focus is on providing more aid to the developing world.

Many in Latin America blame US policy for their poverty

The US is often criticised as the least generous of the richer nations, and the President announced something of a major shift in US aid policy before leaving for Mexico.

He promised to increase US assistance by up to 50% in return for better use of the money by Third World governments.

It would still amount to considerably less than 0.5% of America's vast economic output, but may well head off the expected criticisms of America's development record.

Overall, Mr Bush's trip is coming at a difficult time for Latin America.

Though hardly as troubled as the Middle East or Africa, a recent public opinion poll shows that economic problems in the region with widening gaps between rich and poor have weakened people's attachment to democracy as their preferred form of government.

It is all depressing news for the US president, who often likes to stress the West's common democratic credentials.