US President George W Bush called Salvadoran President Antonio Saca on Friday to discuss the relaunching of an immigration reform bill in the US Senate and the Central American country's involvement in Iraq, according to dpa. Bush telephoned Saca from the presidential plane and also thanked the Central American president for the interest and support he showed for immigration reform efforts during his visit to Washington this week, according to a statement from the Salvadoran president's office. Some 3 million Salvadoran citizens live in the United States, most of them illegally. Bush has supported a bill unpopular among many fellow-Republicans that paves a path for citizenship for 11-12 million illegal immigrants. Both presidents were also said to have talked of the importance of Salvadoran troops deployed in Iraq and Saca's recent visit with Salvadoran soldiers in the Middle Eastern country. Bush also said US Defence Secretary Robert Gates was set to visit El Salvador on July 9 to discuss regional security and other topics of bilateral interest, according to the presidential statement.
