The U.S. President's visit to Costa Rica signals new respect for Latin America, the country's foreign minister said a day before President Barack Obama was to meet with regional leaders in the capital, San Jose. President Obama will hold talks Friday with Costa Rican President Laura Chinchilla, followed by a meeting with Chinchilla and leaders from Panama, Nicaragua, Honduras, Guatemala, El Salvador, Belize, and the Dominican Republic. The countries, along with Haiti, whose president was not attending, represent the Central American Integration System (CAIS), an economic and political organization seeking to improve cooperation and integration in the region.
