The leaders of Canada, Mexico, and the United States met August 9 and 10 for the first North American Leader’s Summit since President Barack Obama took office. Trade, climate change, migration, and security dominated talks and leaders voiced their commitment to a resolution to the Honduran crisis.
A free trade deal that adds Peru to Canada's Latin American trade network came into effect August 1. The agreement eliminates tariffs on more than 95 percent of goods and eases Canadian access to several sectors of Peru’s economy.
Once again, Caracas iced ties with Bogota and suggested it would look elsewhere for imports. The move came in response to Colombian allegations that Venezuelan arms fell into guerrilla hands. An AS/COA news analysis looks at Colombian trade relations with its neighbor and regional partners.
The presidents of Paraguay and Brazil signed an accord that puts the former on more equal footing with its neighbor in the sale of electricity produced at the jointly owned Itaipu hydroeletric dam.
The deposed leader, surrounded by press and supporters, stepped onto Honduran soil for half an hour on July 24 and set up camp in the Nicaragua border area the next day. The Honduran armed forces issued a communiqué that supports a proposal to restore him to office, albeit with limited powers.
Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega marked the thirtieth anniversary of the Sandinista Revolution with a call for constitutional reform to pave the way for sequential presidential reelection. The move comes even as neighboring Honduras finds itself in political chaos over similar moves by a deposed leader.
Bogota and Washington may soon complete negotiations that would allow U.S. military officers to operate out of Colombian bases. Critics say the plan could stir up tensions with neighboring countries, but the Colombian government says the pact will help fight narcotrafficking and terrorism.
