Mexican president calls for regional integration, development

Mexican President Felipe Calderon called on Latin American countries on Thursday to promote regional integration and development in the region.

Calderon made the appeal at the Costa Rican Legislative Assembly after attending the 11th Tuxtla Summit of Dialogue and Agreement Mechanism.

Heads of state and government from Central America, Mexico, Colombia and the Dominican Republic attended the meeting in Pinilla Hacienda, 279 km northwest of San Jose.

Due to changes in financial, technological and environmental models worldwide, it was necessary that countries in the region seek a way to face those challenges, Calderon said.

The Latin American governments should work for their people using the guiding principles of freedom and justice, thus creating a "scene of opportunities for development."

The president also advocated defending democracy and human rights in the region, which he said are "the paths that Costa Rica and Mexico have chosen to embark on."

"We are before the possibility of a new tomorrow for Latin America, and that is why we must make double efforts, because together, we can achieve a different reality to the one we have," Calderon added.

Leaders at the Tuxtla Summit on Wednesday condemned the Honduran coup which ousted President Manuel Zelaya in June. They also called on rivals in the country to compromise and accept mediator Costa Rican President Oscar Arias' reconciliation plan.