US Warns of Potential Boko Haram Attack in Nigeria
The United States has warned its citizens in Nigeria that the radical Islamist sect Boko Haram may be planning attacks in the capital, Abuja.
The U.S. embassy issued an emergency message saying attacks could target hotels used by Westerners, but that the timing was unknown.
The alert said the Nigerian government was aware of the threat and “actively implementing security measures.”
The embassy cautioned citizens to be especially aware of their security near Nigerian government facilities, diplomatic missions, large gathering places, markets and places of worship.
It issued a similar warning in November after a series of deadly attacks in northern Nigeria. But the Nigerian government criticized the move, saying the U.S. warning was not based on new information and was unnecessarily spreading panic.
Boko Haram has been blamed for a bombing earlier this month that killed dozens of people, but has not claimed responsibility.
The group is believed to have killed about 1,000 people since it began violent operations in 2009, including attacks on churches, the U.N. headquarters in Nigeria, police stations and other government buildings.
NATO Pledges Commitment to Afghanistan Despite Costs
NATO says it will not abandon Afghanistan to its enemies despite the financial costs.
The United States and NATO plan to pull combat troops out of the county by 2014. And in prepared remarks Wednesday, NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen warned those seeking to undermine the Afghan government, “you just can't wait us out,” saying they will find a strong Afghan security force in NATO's place.
Rasmussen also told members of the alliance supporting the Afghan security forces “is a good deal in financial and political terms.”
Top U.S. and NATO officials are meeting in Brussels to finalize plans to withdraw the remaining 130,000 foreign combat troops from Afghanistan as well as how to pay for an effective Afghan security force. The discussion will lay the groundwork for a summit of NATO leaders in Chicago next month.
On Tuesday, Afghan President Hamid Karzai said he wants the United States to provide $2 billion a year to fund Afghan security forces after the 2014 security handover. But Rasmussen and U.S. officials have suggested the costs could come closer to $4 billion a year.
“You're right that a figure around four billion US dollars a year has been mentioned. I would like to stress that neither this ministers' meeting nor the Chicago summit will be a pledging conference but I would expect that at the Chicago summit we will get a clear picture of the commitment to financing the Afghan Security Forces
Insurgents in Afghanistan have been stepping up their attacks, launching an offensive this week that claimed the lives of four civilians, 11 Afghan security personnel and 36 militants.
On Tuesday, Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard announced that her country's troops would begin pulling out of Afghanistan one year earlier than planned. She said most of her country's 1,550 troops would return home by the end of 2013, thanks in part to security improvements and the death of Osama bin Laden.
Australia is not the first country to begin accelerating its withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan. Earlier this year, France said its combat forces would also leave the country by the end of 2013, also a year ahead of schedule.
Many observers fear that other countries could follow suit, leading to a dangerous “race to the exits” as the more than decade-long war winds down.
China May Relocate 100,000 Residents From Three Gorges Vicinity
China says about 100,000 people living near the Three Gorges Dam may have to be relocated due to the threat of geological disasters near the massive project.
Liu Yuan, an official with the Ministry of Land Resources, recently told China National Radio the number of landslides and riverbank collapses has increased 70 percent since the waters behind the dam reached their maximum level in 2010.
Liu says the 100,000 residents may have to be moved over the next three to five years to minimize the risk of casualties from such threats. He says work will soon begin to repair rockfalls and landslides at 335 sites near the dam, and that monitoring is under way at 5,386 potential danger sites.
About 1.4 million people living near the Three Gorges Dam have been forced to resettle over the the last decade, when the gates of the dam were closed to create a massive reservoir in Hubei province. A report issued by China's State Council last June said the $25 billion dam — the world's largest hydro-electric project — is fraught with environmental, geologic and economic problems.
Trinidad and Tobago signs loan agreement with Andean Development Bank
Prime minister of Trinidad and Tobago, Kamla Persad-Bissessar began her official engagements at the Sixth Summit of the Americas on Sunday afternoon with the signing of an agreement for her country to become a special member country of the Corporación Andina de Fomento (CAF).
This follows a decision by the Cabinet on February 9, 2012, that the minister of finance implement the agreement between the government of Trinidad and Tobago and the Andean Development Bank for the subscription of common capital and expanded country membership in the institution.
The signing of the loan agreement clears the way for a portfolio of local government projects to become eligible for CAF financing. These include projects regarding infrastructure of roads, transportation, telecommunications, power generation and transmission, water and sanitation.
The prime minister indicated that the occasion of the Sixth Summit of the Americas was an ideal opportunity for Trinidad and Tobago to sign such an Agreement given the theme of this year’s Summit ‘Connecting the Americas; Partners for Prosperity.’
She stated, “The signing of this Agreement sends a strong message of Trinidad and Tobago’s commitment at the highest political level, to deepening regional integration as well as south-south cooperation in advancing development across Latin America and the Caribbean.”
She stressed that Trinidad and Tobago is poised to take on an increasingly active and leading role in strengthening inter-American relations and in the pursuit of fruitful partnerships.
The CAF is a development bank established in 1970 that currently consists of eighteen countries in Latin America, the Caribbean and Europe, as well as fourteen private banks from the Andean region. The organization promotes a model of sustainable development through credit operations, grants and technical support, and offers financial structuring to public and private sector projects in Latin America.
Based in Caracas, Venezuela, CAF has offices in Buenos Aires, La Paz, Brasilia, Bogota, Quito, Madrid, Panama City, Lima and Montevideo.
A CAF mission, headed by its president Enrique Garcia, is scheduled to visit Port of Spain from May 16-18, 2012, to further explore the possibilities arising from Trinidad and Tobago becoming a special member country. The minister of finance affirmed that the signing of the agreement at the Sixth Summit will provide added impetus to these discussions.
Local contracts surpass $110 million at Bahamas megaresort
Bahamian companies have been awarded more than $110 million in contracts since the multi-billion dollar Baha Mar resort broke ground just over one year ago – and more work is on the way.
Local labour will be a "major focus" during the construction of the 200,000-square-foot convention center, according to Tiger Wu, vice president of China Construction America.
The giant complex, seen as a corporate hive in the rising $2.6 billion development, will include three ballrooms, one which can be converted into a 2,000-seat entertainment venue. The convention center will be perched on an elevated superstructure beside the 1,000-room casino hotel.
"I think we are mostly focused on local resources getting involved in the construction of the convention center," Wu told the Nassau Guardian. "We have divided it into different packages and we're in the process of going through pre-qualifications. The first two packages will be the structural steel and concrete foundation. For the convention center, local labour will be a major focus."
The announcement is seen as a significant development for Bahamian companies, many of which have already seen a boost to the bottom line since Baha Mar began construction in February 2011.
Executives from the resort held a "piling ceremony" on Friday morning with local labour clearly on display. Piling, an essential technique when establishing hotel foundations more than 35 feet into the ground, has been going on since last May.
With close to 6,000 piles in the books, there is enough steel wiring in the ground at Cable Beach to stretch all the way to Florida, according to construction crews.
James Mosko, the head of Bahamas Marine Construction Company Limited, was on hand as one of the last piles was placed.
His company has worked hand-in-hand with a French company based in Columbia, which brought in specialized equipment for the process. Describing the work as "a learning process" and "a great address", Mosko told Guardian Business that Bahamas Marine has next been contracted to play a leading role in the beach restoration for Baha Mar.
Meanwhile, Chinese workers continue to build the hotels upward, precariously yet confidently circulating through scaffolding high in the sky beneath seven cranes.
"I think we have made lots of progress over the last month,” Wu explained. “On the superstructure for the casino hotel, we are just about to hit level four. That is the most difficult part of the building, construction wise. They have been working pretty much seven days per week and working long hours to keep up with the progress."
Crews are focused on reaching an essential milestone embedded in the heads of agreement, namely 100 feet of elevation on the superstructure by July 1. If they are on level four now, Wu speculated that 100 feet would bring them up to level nine.
Thousands of Chinese workers are expected to join the operation by the summer and take up residence in the extensive Man Camp located right on-site. Wu told Guardian Business that recruiting the substantial labor pool has been "a process".
"These laborers are in China and they have to pass a skills test before we bring them out here," he said. "They have to get their passport, a medical examination and work permit, and then we have to organize the trip. It's a process."
Tom Dunlap, executive vice president of development and construction, told Guardian Business that Baha Mar is now 12 months into construction, with another 33 still to go.
Baha Mar includes four new hotels, including the Morgan's, Rosewood, Grand Hyatt and casino hotel. The project has 3,000 feet of beachfront, an eco-water park, a Jack Nicklaus Signature Golf Course and the 200,000 square-foot convention center.
The development also absorbs the existing Sheraton and Wyndham hotel properties, bringing the total of number of rooms up to more than 2,200.
Dunlap and Wu agreed that it is the largest resort project in the world that is now under construction.
Courtesy of the Nassau Guardian
US Coast Guard makes nearly two-ton Caribbean coke bust
The United States Coast Guard said on Saturday that it captured a speedboat laden with US $43 million worth of cocaine in the Caribbean Sea.
The Coast Guard said it seized 3,532 pounds of the drug, along with four suspected drug smugglers. It did not identify the nationalities of the alleged smugglers.
The Coast Guard hailed the seizure as a major drug bust in its latest collaborative regional effort to block US-bound drug shipments far from American shores, called Operation Martillo.
The multi-agency campaign teams up with regional law enforcement agencies, as well as with the Defense and Homeland Security departments to track down drug, weapons and cash smugglers in the coastal Caribbean region off Central America.
In the latest episode, the Coast Guard said an “Interdiction Tactical Squadron” aboard a helicopter off the 270-foot cutter Northland spotted a 35-foot speed boat with bales of the drug on its deck in the Caribbean Sea early on Saturday morning.
The Coast Guard said crewmembers of the Northland, a Portland, Virginia, 270-foot cutter, stopped the so-called “go-fast” with an assist from the Key West based cutter Pea Island, a 110-foot patrol boat.
The Northland’s skipper, Coast Guard Commander Dave Shepardson, said that the operation took place “in less-than perfect weather conditions.
“More importantly, the crew feels proud that they took a large quantity of drugs off the streets,” he said.
The speedboat had no known nationality and was destroyed “as a hazard to navigation,” said Coast Guard spokesman Lieutenant Patrick Montgomery.
He said the drugs and suspected smugglers were taken to Tampa, where the Justice Department’s drug-smuggling task force was handling the case prosecution.
On Thursday, the US Coast Guard said submarine and boat busts in the Caribbean Sea so far this year have yielded billions of United States dollars in cocaine.
It said that in three separate incidents in seven days in the Caribbean Sea, off the coasts of Nicaragua and Panama, in late March, US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) aircraft helped “run down” three vessels carrying almost nine tons of cocaine worth about US$1.3 billion.
The huge haul came only two weeks after two more boatloads of the drug worth over half a billion US dollars were intercepted by CBP aircraft in the same region, the US Coast Guard said.
In two days in late March, the Coast Guard said CBP interdiction aircraft, operating out of National Air Security Operations Centers in Jacksonville, Florida, and Corpus Christi, Texas, helped intercept a Self Propelled Semi-Submersible (SPSS) carrying close to 14,000 pounds of cocaine, and two go-fast vessels carrying more than 4,400 pounds of cocaine.
The Coast Guard estimated the combined cargo was worth more than US$1.3 billion.
On March 29, the Coast Guard said two interdiction aircraft operating in the Western Caribbean assisted the Joint Interagency Task Force-South in finding and tracking a SPSS off the coast of Nicaragua.
“The crew scuttled the SPSS, but authorities recovered 13,889 pounds of cocaine worth more than US$1 billion,” the Coast Guard said.
A day later, it said an interdiction aircraft operating in the western Caribbean spotted a go-fast vessel carrying suspicious bales.
“The 40-foot twin-engine vessel was spotted speeding north off the coast of Panama and appeared to be carrying a load of packages when the Florida-based CBP P-3 (interdiction aircraft) began tracking the vessel,” the Coast Guard said.
“A local law enforcement patrol boat was sent in to board the vessel and uncovered 2,200 pounds of cocaine worth approximately US$164 million were recovered,” it added.
On April 4, the Coast Guard said 2,200 pounds of cocaine, worth about US$164 million, were seized and four crewmembers arrested after an interdiction aircraft spotted an open-hull go-fast vessel carrying rectangular bales in the Caribbean Sea, off the coast of Panama.
During fiscal year 2011, the US Coast Guard said its fleet seized or disrupted more than 148,000 pounds of cocaine, valued at more than US$11.1 billion.
Antigua Observer
Kobe-less Lakers hold off Mavs in overtime 112-108
Sure, Pau Gasol and the Los Angeles Lakers are well aware a regular-season sweep means nothing compared to a playoff sweep.
The Lakers are still pleased they're controlling this rivalry with the Dallas Mavericks heading to another postseason in which they just might meet again - and they even did it without Kobe Bryant.
Andrew Bynum had 23 points and 16 rebounds, Gasol made back-to-back 3-pointers in overtime, and the Lakers won their fourth straight game without the NBA's leading scorer, 112-108 over the Dallas Mavericks on Sunday.
Ramon Sessions scored 22 points, and Gasol had 20 points and 10 rebounds as Los Angeles rallied from a fourth-quarter deficit before finishing off a four-game season sweep of the defending champion Mavericks, who swept the two-time champion Lakers out of last season's playoffs.
"This team eliminated us last year, and they're the champs right now," said Gasol, who buried his sixth and seventh 3-pointers of the season in OT. "If we face them again, I don't know if this 4-0 in the regular season will be worth a whole lot. We'll have to start over and make sure we play as hard as we've been playing lately."
Coach Mike Brown thought the Lakers put together a remarkable team effort in Bryant's absence, with everybody on the floor in overtime contributing a key play. Matt Barnes' cagey defense capped the OT effort against Jason Terry, who missed what should have been an easy tying layup with 5 seconds left.
With the Lakers holding the No. 3 spot in the West playoff picture and the Mavs at No. 6, both teams realize they could meet again in two weeks. The Lakers boosted their lead over the Clippers atop the Pacific Division to 1 1/2 games with six to play. The Lakers also have the tiebreaker edge on their next-door rivals.
"We're excited about the playoffs, but we're still going to have that bitter taste in our mouths until then," Barnes said.
Barnes had 11 points, 11 rebounds, eight assists and Los Angeles' key defensive play, and Metta World Peace scored 18 points for the Lakers, who are 4-1 while Bryant rests his bruised shin. Bryant is still contributing to the Lakers by shouting out instruction and encouragement from the bench, but his teammates are figuring out how to win when they can't count on Kobe to take the big shot.
"Metta, Andrew, myself, we all feel we have to step up in Kobe's absence," Gasol said. "A different guy can do it every game."
Dirk Nowitzki had 24 points on 9-of-28 shooting and 14 rebounds for the Mavericks, whose three-game winning streak ended. Delonte West scored 20 points, and Terry had 21 before overthinking his drive and jamming a layup into the underside of the rim while trying to avoid Barnes' defense.
"I solely take the blame for it," Terry said. "I command and ask for the ball in that situation, and to not be able to deliver for the team is an utter disappointment. ... Give (Barnes) credit, it was a savvy defensive play, but if I do it again, I know what kind of play I'm going to make."
Gasol added two free throws with 0.5 seconds left in the Lakers' fifth straight regular-season win over Dallas.
Both teams had chances to win near the regulation buzzer, but Sessions missed an awkward shot with 1.5 seconds to play, and Nowitzki clanged a 3-point attempt off the back rim.
While the Mavericks claimed Barnes goaltended one of the Lakers' overtime baskets, they also blamed themselves for a middling effort.
"I just have to make some shots," said Nowitzki, an unimpressive 36 for 95 over his last five games. "I was more of a volume shooter, and that's not the way I want to play. I want to be an efficient scorer. I've got some work to do."
Gasol gave the lead back to the Lakers on consecutive corner 3's, with Nowitzki's third 3-pointer sandwiched between them. World Peace put the Lakers up 110-106 with a fadeaway jumper with 1:04 to play.
Bynum has been fighting a respiratory infection, but coach Mike Brown described him as "an absolute beast" against Dallas. After a slow start in the first half, Bynum returned to the dominant form he showed while getting 30 rebounds and scoring 30 points in consecutive games, a feat last accomplished by Moses Malone in 1982.
During a midgame interview with ABC, Bryant said his shin feels much better, and he intends to return to the Lakers well before the playoffs. Bryant is walking without discomfort, but the 28.1-points-per-game All-Star hasn't played since April 6.
Bryant has missed just 100 games in his 16-season NBA career, including the past five. If Bryant plans to return soon, Los Angeles has just five games remaining, including Tuesday's visit from San Antonio, before the postseason.
"That's Coach Bryant now," Sessions said. "He's over there drawing stuff up on the board. He's pulling us over to the side and helping us out tremendously."
--AP
Dodgers turn triple play, beat Padres 5-4
Matt Kemp called it "very weird." Chase Headley described it as a "crazy occurrence."
Nearly everyone was shaking their heads after the Los Angeles Dodgers turned a bizarre triple play in the top of the ninth inning before Dee Gordon singled home the winning run in the bottom half of a 5-4 win over the San Diego Padres on Sunday.
It was 4-all when the Dodgers turned their first triple play since June 13, 1998, against Colorado.
Chris Denorfia led off with a single against Javy Guerra (1-0) and Headley walked. Jesus Guzman squared to bunt, but the pitch came high and tight and hit his bat as he backed away.
The ball landed in front of the plate and catcher A.J. Ellis alertly picked it up and threw to third.
"I was very confident I heard it hit the bat. I didn't hear anything from the umpire behind me," he said.
Guzman, startled by what happened, didn't run to first base, which made it easy for third baseman Juan Uribe to relay to shortstop Gordon at second base. In turn, he threw to James Loney to complete the triple play.
"As soon as I got the ball to Juan and nobody was running I said, `This is going to be a triple play,"' Ellis said. "They were sure it was a foul ball and we were sure it was a bunted ball."
Padres manager Bud Black came out to argue with plate umpire and crew chief Dale Scott, who ejected him.
"It happened so fast," said Black, who thought he heard two sounds when the ball hit the bat. "It sounded funny."
He came into the clubhouse and watched a replay.
"There's not many times where a ball headed for the face turns into a triple play," Black said. "I looked at the take, and it was a fair ball."
Headley saw Scott's hands go up and believed the umpire was signaling that the ball hit the bat, then hit him in the batter's box, making it a foul ball.
"When he throws his hands up like that, it's supposed to be a foul ball. I told him that five times. He said that he was just trying to get out of the way," Headley said. "He wasn't just sticking his hands up. He waved them, and to me, that means foul ball, regardless of whether it hit him or didn't hit him. That's irrelevant."
Scott told a pool reporter that the umpiring crew didn't see the ball hit the batter.
"It was off the bat and then straight down," he said. "We saw several angles, including the replay here and we also called in and asked for the replay from New York and looked at that. The ball went straight down and I thought it hit the bat. I heard bat.
"I moved out of the way of the catcher, and now all of sudden, I have two bodies in front of me. I didn't see where the ball was. I saw it trickle in front of the plate. Without having seen it hit, I have to assume that's a fair ball."
First base umpire Bill Miller confirmed that the ball was momentarily foul before it rolled fair again.
Scott said as long as the ball isn't touched it's fair.
"There was nothing verbal (from the umpire), so I just picked it up and started throwing," Ellis said. "You keep playing and don't assume anything."
The Dodgers improved to 9-1, the best mark in the major leagues and equaling their best start since opening the 1981 season with the same record.
Kemp hit his fourth homer in three games as the Dodgers sent San Diego to its fourth loss in a row. The Dodgers won the series opener Friday night when the winning run was forced in on a bases-loaded walk.
"I'm proud of my guys," he said. "We're finding ways to win. Whatever it is, we're getting it done."
The Dodgers had the same situation in the bottom of the ninth with runners on first and second and nobody out, with Juan Uribe in a sacrifice situation against Brad Brach (0-1). Uribe successfully got the bunt down and Ellis was intentionally walked to load the bases.
Pinch-hitter Jerry Hairston Jr. fouled out before Gordon slapped an 0-2 pitch to left field, setting off a wild celebration between first and second base. Gordon had struck out with the bases loaded to end the seventh and earlier committed an error.
"I shouldn't have put (Clayton) Kershaw in the spot. That's on me," Gordon said. "I was glad I could come through for him."
A joyous Kemp tackled Gordon, leading to a dog pile of players.
"I had to get my licks in," Kemp said.
The Dodgers gave Kershaw to a 4-1 lead. But Josh Lindblom gave up a tying two-run single to pinch-hitter Jeremy Hermida in the sixth, leaving last year's NL Cy Young winner with his third no-decision in as many starts.
The Dodgers improved to 6-0 at home with their ninth straight win against San Diego at Dodger Stadium.
San Diego tied it at 4 with three runs in the sixth. Orlando Hudson had a bases-loaded RBI single through the hole past Gordon to finish Kershaw, and Hermida hit a bases-loaded single.
Kershaw allowed four runs - three earned - and eight hits in 5 1-3 innings, struck out three and walked three. The left-hander's three earned runs were the most he's allowed since last Aug. 7, a span of 11 starts.
"We were just a little bit off the rhythm and timing," Ellis said. "He'll bounce back and be ready to go."
Padres starter Edinson Volquez gave up four runs and six hits in five innings. He struck out two and walked five.
--AP
Call for unity at opening of Summit of the Americas
The secretary general of the Organization of American States (OAS), José Miguel Insulza, called for the unity of the countries of the hemisphere at the inauguration of the Sixth Summit of the Americas, saying “a united Americas is an achievable reality” to achieve common objectives, overcome obstacles on the road to progress and prosperity, and to reach the solutions that the countries demand to the most urgent problems.”
He added that “democracy is advancing in the Americas and the best way to strengthen it is not through external pressure, imposition, or exclusion, but in dialogue, cooperation and tolerance.”
The hemispheric meeting in Cartagena de Indias was officially inaugurated by the president of Colombia, Juan Manuel Santos, who called on the leaders present to “build bridges” in key areas of regional policy such as the recovery of Haiti and the inclusion of Cuba.
“It would be just as unthinkable to hold another hemispheric meeting with a prostrate Haiti, as it would be with Cuba absent,” he said.
In that context, he added “isolation, embargo and indifference have shown their ineffectiveness. It’s an anachronism that keeps us anchored to a Cold War era that’s been overcome for decades now.”
In his speech before the heads of state and government of the hemisphere, Insulza declared that “in a framework of tolerance and dialogue we should partner together to achieve the prosperity that is today within our reach.”
He later warned that the Americas “are now nearing a billion inhabitants” and said they “expect from their leaders, meeting today in Cartagena, a clear message of unity, to maximize our competitiveness and our interchanges, defeat poverty, discrimination and inequality, protect the human rights of all our citizens, defend their security and make possible the free and democratic society they demand.”
The chief representative of the hemispheric organization stressed that “democracy is advancing in the Americas and the best way to strengthen it is not through external pressure, imposition, or exclusion, but in dialogue, cooperation and tolerance.”
He pointed to the dilemma that, on one hand, the Charter of the OAS that proclaims the inclusion in the system of all the countries of the Americas, and on the other, the Inter-American Democratic Charter establishes the common commitment to democracy. He then stressed the solution to this dilemma “lies in dialogue, cooperation and tolerance.”
Insulza expressed his confidence that “a united Americas is a possible reality, with undeniable institutional strengths to achieve common goals.” But he added that “the Americas are also a hemisphere of regions, and therefore hemispheric action will be more realistic if it takes account of regional realities.”
In that context, he reiterated that the OAS and the Inter-American System “are not in competition with the regional organizations or the forums which have emerged to express our growing desire for integration; on the contrary they welcome them.”
The leader of the OAS praised “the constructive and positive tone” that Santos had given the Summit’s agenda, and highlighted his invitation “not to give in to division or complacency, but to look with objectivity and a constructive sense at the obstacles that still obstruct our progress,” among which he mentioned deficiencies in infrastructure and technological backwardness; racial and gender discrimination; inequities and iniquities; drug trafficking and organized crime; and the effects of global warming.
“The basis for our common action is solid,” emphasized Insulza, who cited the many links that united the countries and societies of the hemisphere, like commercial links, migratory flows and shared values.
In his speech, the head of the multilateral agency urged the heads of state and government to reach agreements at Cartagena that would serve as a guide to the regional agencies that make up the joint summit working group.
“They have all come to receive guidance from you that will allow us to better carry out our work in the next three years,” he said.
Santos, for his part, highlighted that “building bridges, everything is possible,” and cited as an example the “excellent” current state of relations between Colombia and Venezuela, that not long ago showed a great distancing. With that example the Colombian leader called on his peers to “build bridges guided by our principles, respect for our differences, cooperation and solidarity.”
Further, he assured that conciliation and the search for consensus will also help to face challenges like the problem of violence in Central America – “Central America is not alone,” he said – and the war against drugs. On that point, he asked for “a pause in the road to understand where we are and where we’re going.”
“Many countries in the region believe it is necessary to begin an analysis of this problem that, without prejudices or dogmas, contemplates the possible alternatives to deal with the problem,” he added.
In conclusion, Santos called on governments to focus their efforts on resolving the problems that most concern their citizens.
“This Summit is not only about governments or political interests, it’s about the people, with needs, emergencies, shortages, that demand our effective and coordinated action,” he said.
“Only by working together, by changing the paradigms can we build a better world for all. I invite you to build bridges, to be partners for prosperity, for our people. Being more united we will become a better Americas,” he concluded.
Alicia Barcena, executive secretary of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) also spoke at the ceremony, joining the call for regional cooperation.
“The challenges of today and tomorrow go beyond borders. The progress and well-being of the peoples of the Americas are a shared responsibility,” between all its countries, she said.
Barcena said that “the value of hemispheric dialogue in the Americas is recognized by all,” but that it could not be “strengthened and projected toward the future” if it does not include all the countries of the hemisphere.
In economic terms, she highlighted that “the region has experienced an historic period of economic boom,” with heightened and sustained growth, at the same time that poverty has been reduced, employment increased and the distribution of income improved.
Now, she said, “has come the time of equality. There are gaps to be closed and roads to be opened, but inequality conspires against development and security. Our region can grow more and better.”
Caribbean News Now
Donald surrenders world number one ranking to McIlroy at Heritage
Luke Donald will surrender his world number one ranking to Rory McIlroy on Monday after finishing the RBC Heritage in the United States in joint 37th.
Donald needed a top-eight placing in South Carolina to stay ahead of the Northern Irishman.
However, he could only finish with a second successive level-par round of 71 to end the week on two over par.
The tournament was won by Sweden's Carl Pettersson with Donald never in contention after an opening-round 75.
Donald, who lost a play-off to Brandt Snedeker at the same venue last year, made a poor start to Sunday's final round with a double-bogey six on the first, before birdies on the fifth and sixth helped him salvage some respectability.
Pettersson shot a final round of 69 to finish a comfortable winner on 14 under, five shots ahead of American Zach Johnson.
Colt Knost was one shot further back in third after a disappointing final round of 74.
US Open champion McIlroy briefly overtook Donald at the top of the rankings last month, and will now do so again despite sitting out this tournament.
The 22-year-old is not expected to play again until next month's Wells Fargo Championship in Charlotte, North Carolina.