President Bush has met with the leaders of countries that signed the Central American Free Trade Accord.
Their talks today came in advance of the fourth Summit of the Americas in Mar del Plata, Argentina. Mr. Bush also has one-on-one meetings scheduled with Argentinean President Nestor Kirchner and Chilean President Ricardo Lagos before the summit begins later in the day.
The U.S. president and 31 other national leaders participating in the two-day conference are expected to discuss ways to boost employment, fight poverty and strengthen democracy in the Western Hemisphere.
Merchants have boarded up their windows and more than seven thousand security personnel are patrolling the seaside town, in anticipation of massive demonstrations scheduled for today. Tens of thousands of people are expected to march in protest
of the war in Iraq and Mr. Bush's international economic policies.
Informtaion for this report is provided by AP, Reuters.