Obama Secures Partnerships on Latin America Tour

By Michael Lopez

Citizens of Brazil, Chile and El Salvador got to catch a glimpse of Barack Obama this week as the President kicked off a five-day Latin American tour designed to focus on such issues as immigration, trade and energy.

Although President Obama had planned to visit the Mayan ruins in El Salvador on Wednesday, he instead boarded an early flight back to the U.S. to meet his security team and strategize about the ongoing Libyan conflict.

“It's logistical," National Security Council spokesman Tommy Vietor said. "He's doing a call in the a.m. with his national security team, and thus will not have time to visit the ruins. So he'll be wheels up a couple hours earlier."

That’s not to say that Obama’s visits were unproductive. The U.S. President and newly-elected Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff signed deals on energy cooperation and opened up discussions about future trade negotiations.

"[Obama and Rousseff] understood each other, they get along well,” said a senior Brazilian government official. “That will be of enormous help on any issues that may be difficult. The most critical part is that Dilma can now pick up the phone any time and call Obama because they established a good personal relationship."

While in Chile, Obama praised the country for its economic growth. Meeting with President Sebastian Piñera, he emphasized continued U.S. support and worked to mend the tumultuous history between the two nations.

"I think it's important," Obama noted in a Chilean joint press conference, "that we're not trapped by our history. And the fact of the matter is, that over the last two decades we've seen extraordinary progress here in Chile and that has not been impeded by the United States but, in fact, has been fully supported by the United States."

El Salvador proved to be the quickest leg of the trip, due to Obama’s early exit. Nevertheless, he was able to meet with President Mauricio Funes and even pledged $200 million in economic aid, which he said the government would use to fight against “the social and economic forces that drive young people to criminality.”

Do you think President Obama has helped strengthen ties between the U.S. and Latin America? Sound off in the comments or @MTV3.

Tags Barack Obama, Brazil, chile, Cultura, El Salvador, Latin America, Libya, Politics, President Obama