Canada and Honduras sign free trade agreement

SAN PEDRO SULA: Canada and Honduras signed a free trade agreement on Friday as Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper concluded his tour of Latin America.

Amid the trade agreement, which has been under negotiations for 10 years, Harper acknowledged human rights and security problems exist in Honduras, but Canada has no information that links those problems to the government of President Porfirio Lobo, Harper said.

"We know there are significant problems of security and human rights in this country, but we have no information to suggest that those are in any way perpetrated by the government," said Harper according to Canadian broadcaster CBC.

"In fact, the president of Honduras himself... was a prominent human rights leader in this country, and that's got a lot to do with the fact he was elected president," added the Canadian leader.

Harper was posed similar questions earlier this week when he signed a trade agreement in Colombia as part of a Latin American tour.

Wednesday in Bogota, Harper said the agreement with Colombia contains clauses that address environmental and human rights.

While in Honduras, Harper also announced that Canada would contribute $9.2 million to security plans in the country.

With a rate of more then 50 homicides per 100,000 residents, drug cartels have contributed to making the region the most violent non-war zone in the world.

Around 95pc of the cocaine consumed in the United States transits through Central America.

Copyright AFP (Agence France-Presse), 2011

Copyright APP (Associated Press of Pakistan), 2011