C American leaders agree on common currency, passport

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SAN PEDRO SULA, Honduras, Dec 6 (AFP): Central American leaders yesterday agreed to adopt a common regional currency and passport, among other measures to bolster regional integration in the face of global financial uncertainty.
The eight leaders attending a regional summit vowed in a statement to promote "a regional conscience that instills people with a sense of identity and belonging to a united Central American region," including "perfecting the issue of a Central American passport and the adoption of a single Central American currency."
No details were provided on the type or name of the future common Central American currency, nor any dateline on its possible adoption, or whether the European Union model would be followed.
The leaders also resolved to "standardise laws" in the immigration, education and security sectors "that will give greater cohesion to Central American integration and that ensure citizens the benefits of that integration."
A report on progress made on all those issues will be presented at the next Central American summit, the statement added.
The presidents of Honduras, Guatemala, El Salvador and Nicaragua, and representatives from Costa Rica, Panama, Dominican Republic and Belize also agreed Friday on a 41-point "Plan of Emergency Measures" to help the region weather the current global financial storm.
"At this time, the financial system is undergoing a very deep crisis that directly affects our countries. The most vulnerable economies, the societies with the highest rates of poverty, logically, are the first to suffer," Honduran President Manuel Zelaya said at the summit opening.
The economic blueprint which aims to confront financial upheaval includes a regional credit fund and stimulus programmes for the region's farming, consumer and trade sectors.
Immediate priority, they said, should be given to "investment in infrastructure" such as roads to boost production, especially of "micro, small and mid-size businesses."
The leaders agreed that to achieve strong regional integration, "a customs union (a free trade area with a common external tariff) is one of the strategic tools."