Leaders Pledge to Integrate Latin Region

MERIDA, Mexico —  Mexican and Central American leaders ended a two-day summit by announcing an ambitious plan to integrate the region, including a $3-billion highway project.

The goal of the so-called Plan Puebla Panama is to promote the region’s development by integrating its roads, electricity grids and tariff systems, as well as building a Mexico-Panama gas pipeline. In the meeting that ended Friday in Merida, 620 miles east of Mexico City, the region’s leaders also condemned terrorism and pledged to improve the defense of human rights.

Central American countries intend to open a joint office in Mexico’s Veracruz state to protect migrant rights, delegates said. Thousands of Central Americans travel through Mexico on their way to the U.S., and many report being robbed or mistreated in Mexico. Mexican President Vicente Fox said regional integration “is an imperative need.”