WASHINGTON (AP) ? President Barack Obama is praising what he calls the “profound” relationship between the United States and Honduras.
Meeting with Honduran President Porfirio Lobo in the Oval Office on Wednesday, Obama said that under Lobo, Honduras has restored democratic practices and seen a commitment to the country’s reconciliation. Lobo was elected in 2009 after the previous president was driven from office by a coup.
Obama pledged to help Honduras fight corruption and crime generated by the international drug trade. With more than 630,000 Hispanics of Honduran background in the United States, the meeting had significance for Obama in Central America and at home.
Lobo declared it a “high honor” to visit the White House and extended his “permanent gratitude” for U.S. assistance.
