Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld on Wednesday praised a pending U.S. trade agreement with Central America when he met the presidents of six regional nations visiting Washington to press for the pact's approval. Rumsfeld, who has made two recent trips to Latin America to encourage cooperation in the U.S.-declared global war on terrorism, said the Central American Free Trade Agreement would be another step in the growth of democracy south of the U.S. border, Reuters said. "This trade agreement could help usher in a new era of cooperation between our countries and enhanced prosperity in the region," he said, saying that poverty in the region fostered the growth of criminal "anti-social" elements. Presidents Enrique Bolanos of Nicaragua, Ricardo Maduro of Honduras, Abel Pacheco of Costa Rica, Oscar Berger of Guatemala, Antonio Saca of El Salvador and Leonel Fernandez of the Dominican Republic were honored at a Pentagon military parade before having breakfast with Rumsfeld. The Latin American leaders were also meeting with U.S. Congressional leaders later in the day and were scheduled to meet President George W. Bush at the White House on Thursday. --More 2149 Local Time 1849 GMT
