Obama announces first trip to S. America

“I will travel to Brazil, Chile and El Salvador to forge new alliances for progress in the Americas,” Obama said, according to prepared remarks of his annual State of the Union speech released by the White House.

National Security Council spokesman Mike Hammer said the trip will “help advance our security and prosperity” by strengthening U.S. partnerships in the Western hemisphere.

Obama visited Latin American neighbors Mexico and Trinidad and Tobago early in his presidency, but this will be his first official South American tour.

In Brazil, Obama will hold talks with Dilma Rousseff, the new Brazilian president, on “clean energy, global growth, reconstruction assistance for Haiti, collaborative development efforts and other issues of global importance,” Hammer said.

In Chile, the U.S. leader will meet Chilean President Sebastian Pinera “to discuss greater regional and bilateral cooperation,” Hammer said in an e-mail.

“Chile is one of our closest partners in the Western hemisphere, has been a major contributor in Haiti, and has quickly become a regional leader on nuclear security, clean energy and crisis management issues,” he added.

In El Salvador, the president will consult with Salvadoran President Mauricio Funes, whom Hammer hailed as “a leader who is working to transcend traditional ideological divisions in his country to advance the wellbeing of the Salvadoran people.”

The talks with Funes, who represents the moderate Latin American left, will build on White House talks in March last year, Hammer said, adding the U.S. president's agenda will tackle regional and bilateral economic ties as well as clean energy.

“The close ties between the United States and El Salvador are cemented by the large Salvadoran population in the United States and the economic activity they help generate in the region and between our countries,” Hammer said.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has already visited Brazil, Chile and El Salvador during several tours of Central and South America.

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