US President Mr George Bush today celebrated Central America's rebound from civil wars to democracy on Sunday in El Salvador, the last stop of his Latin America tour.
Mr Bush was wrapping up a four-day swing during which he has sought to reassure Latin America of his interest in helping bring economic prosperity to the hemisphere after he got sidetracked by the post-September 11th war on terrorism.
He arrived in San Salvador to a flag-waving ceremony, with hundreds of military personnel and schoolchildren out to welcome him in withering heat.
Mr Bush immediately went into talks with Salvadoran President Mr Francisco Flores to discuss trade and migration. The two will then attend a working lunch with the leaders of the other Central American nations, Belize, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua and Panama.
Central America was shattered by civil wars in recent decades, and the U.S. involvement in them caused deep resentment. Now El Salvador is a success story in a region where most of Central America's 35 million people live in poverty and other nations are having trouble overcoming their violent pasts.
"The president has ... a very warm spot in his heart for the Central American presidents who, despite very, very difficult odds, where most of them were living in countries that were in civil war just a few years ago, are really making a tremendous effort to make life better for their people," said Ms Condoleezza Rice, Mr Bush's national security adviser.
She said the meeting with the Central American leaders will be to really celebrate a region that I think 10, 15 years ago nobody would have given a chance to be living at peace, to be democratic.
Mr Bush, joined by his wife, Laura, will use the setting to reassure the leaders of his interest in a free-trade pact with Central America.
Although that exploratory stage has not concluded, many in the region hope he will use the El Salvador visit to announce a new stage of more formal talks.
Talking to reporters on Air Force One on the flight from Peru to El Salvador, US Secretary of State Gen Colin Powell said he realized some lawmakers in the US Congress were against such a pact.