Summit focuses on economic crisis

The Ibero-American summit of heads of state from Latin America, Spain and Portugal spent much of its time on the world economic crisis and its impact on the region. From news reports:

SAN SALVADOR (AFP) — Leaders from Spain, Portugal and Latin America on Friday called for an emergency world summit overseen by the United Nations to tackle the financial crisis, as recession fears rose.

Economic concerns dominated the 18th Ibero-American summit, which ended Friday in San Salvador.

A final statement called for participants to take steps to "urgently" organize an international summit on the crisis....

The leaders also signed agreements to fight poverty among young people, the main theme of the three-day summit before the crisis took over.

"Some 150 million youths will benefit from these policies," said President Antonio Saca of El Salvador at the summit's close...

The UN Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) this week warned that the region would suffer the world economic crisis through a drop in investments, remittances and demand for its raw material exports.

It also revised down its regional growth prediction from four percent to no more than three percent.