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Bush tour makes stop in Guatemala Bush stops in Guatemala for talks
(about 8 hours later)
President George W Bush is in Guatemala for a one-day visit, after a stop in Colombia where he pledged his personal support to its fight against drugs. The issues of immigration and drug trafficking have dominated talks in Guatemala between President Bush and his counterpart Oscar Berger.
He will discuss security, trade and immigration with Guatemala's president. Mr Bush said he hoped to push reforms through Congress soon to allow more immigrants to work legally in the US.
This is the fourth stop in Mr Bush's tour of Latin America, which has seen protests at every stage. Protests greeted his one-day visit, the fourth stop on his Latin American tour.
Venezuela's president, Hugo Chavez, has used a parallel tour of the region to speak out against what he calls the interference of the "American empire". Venezuela's president, Hugo Chavez, has used a parallel tour to speak out against what he calls the interference of the "American empire".
Mr Chavez has arrived in Jamaica after stops in Nicaragua, Bolivia and Argentina where he started his tour last week with a massive anti-Bush rally. Mr Chavez paid a brief visit to Jamaica, where he met Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller, before arriving in Haiti late on Monday.
'Anti-revolutionary policy' He was greeted by Haitian President Rene Preval and crowds of flag-waving supporters. The two leaders are expected to discuss aid for the Caribbean nation.
After a quick stop in Jamaica he moves on to Haiti later on Monday where he will discuss aid for the Caribbean nation. The Venezuelan president has already visited Nicaragua, Bolivia and Argentina, where he started his tour on Friday with a massive anti-Bush rally.
Mr Chavez has been speaking out against the "American empire"In Nicaragua, Mr Chavez met with President Daniel Ortega and announced plans to build an oil refinery so that "Nicaraguans never experience fuel shortages and even become exporters of gas". Deportation question
He accused Washington of trying to roll back recent leftist gains throughout Latin America. Several hundred protesters, mainly from student groups, trade unions and indigenous communities, demonstrated near the presidential palace in Guatemala City as Mr Bush and Mr Berger held talks.
"The battle between the US empire and the great Latin American people is taking place again," he said in the city of Leon. Speaking at a joint press conference afterwards, Mr Bush said he hoped to push immigration reforms, including a temporary worker programme, through Congress in the next few months.
One deal "I told the president, it seems like to me we got to get this done by August, I hope so," he said.
Guatemalan President Oscar Berger is expected to ask his US counterpart for a temporary halt to the deportations of Guatemalans living in the US illegally. "We don't believe in timetables. But I do believe in pressing hard and working with Democrats and Republicans to get it done."
Mr Berger and his wife took the president and First Lady Laura Bush to the mainly-indigenous town of Santa Cruz Balanya. However, Mr Bush insisted deportations of illegal workers - a contentious issue in Guatemala because hundreds of thousands of its citizens live illegally in the US - would continue under US law.
Mr Berger responded: "The Guatemalan people would have preferred a more clear and positive response - no more deportations."
Mr Bush promised to stand together with Guatemala in the fight against corruption and drugs trafficking.
The two leaders also discussed a recent increase in violence in the Central American nation.
'Bad energy'
Mr Berger and his wife had earlier taken the president and First Lady Laura Bush to the mainly-indigenous town of Santa Cruz Balanya.
They visited a US military medical training team helping to provide medical and dental care to rural areas.They visited a US military medical training team helping to provide medical and dental care to rural areas.
In the town's main square they shook hands with a crowd of residents and listened to a mariachi band. Mr Bush also called on a Maya agricultural co-operative - where he talked to farmers about the benefits of free trade - and the Maya archaeological site of Iximche.
Mr Bush is also scheduled to visit a Maya agricultural co-operative and a Maya archaeological site, before going to the presidential palace. Indigenous Mayas staged a protest during Mr Bush's visit to Iximche and said they would "cleanse" the ancient site to remove "the bad energy" he had left.
Indigenous Mayas have already staged protests against the US president's visit, and have said they will "cleanse" the ancient site of Iximche after Mr Bush's visit. Mr Bush was due to leave for Mexico late on Monday, where he will finish his week-long journey to five Latin American countries.
Mr Bush leaves for Mexico late on Monday where he will finish his week-long journey to five Latin American countries. After a stop in Colombia on Sunday, he pledged his personal support to its fight against drugs.
So far, Mr Bush's Latin America trip has produced one deal - an agreement with Brazil for co-operation in the promotion of ethanol, a bio-fuel.So far, Mr Bush's Latin America trip has produced one deal - an agreement with Brazil for co-operation in the promotion of ethanol, a bio-fuel.