Saturday, April 18, 2009

Latin America leaders scramble for photo with Obama

PORT OF SPAIN (AFP) — US President Barack Obama's worldwide popularity was in evidence Saturday at a Summit of the Americas in Trinidad, when Latin American leaders jostled to have a photo taken with him.

Obama affably agreed to most of the requests, including those of Panama's tourism minister and actor Ruben Blades, and Caribbean leaders who used a joint photo session with him to also ask for individual snaps.

Some were pushier -- and better prepared -- than others. That was the case of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, who had his official photographer on hand to catch a handshake he shared with Obama at the summit's start on Friday.

And some got even more personal attention: Colombian President Alvaro Uribe, a close US ally, proudly showed off a piece of paper on which Obama had written "For President Uribe, with admiration!" above a diagram of his government's goals.

No comments: