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"Best wall is progress" says Colombia's president

Xinhua, March 30, 2017 Adjust font size:

The "best wall that can be built is progress in Mesoamerica," Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos said on Wednesday, alluding to the controversial border wall to be built along the U.S.-Mexico border.

Santos' message promoting development and cooperation over border division to stem the flow of migration was addressed to the 16th Tuxtla Summit of Central American and Latin American leaders, held in Costa Rica's capital San Jose.

U.S. President Donald Trump's plan to build a wall on his country's southern border as a way to prevent the entry of undocumented migrants was one of the main issues of the summit.

Santos also proposed the creation of a Mesoamerican Business Council to develop medium and long-term strategies to spur economic growth in the region.

Mexico's President Enrique Pena Nieto thanked Santos "for his words of solidarity," but added his administration welcomed the chance to "redefine" the bilateral relationship with its northern neighbor.

"Mexico ... is optimistic about this redefinition of the relationship between Mexico and the United States," said Pena, adding it will continue "to promote, work and back dialogue as a means to overcome any differences."

The summit was also attended by the presidents of Guatemala, Jimmy Morales; Panama, Juan Carlos Varela; and Costa Rica, Luis Guillermo Solis, as well as delegations from Belize, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic. Enditem