US President Barack Obama said Sunday that the United States wants to be an "effective partner" of Central America and he is willing to learn how to do it.

US President Barack Obama (L) shakes hands with El Salvador's president-elect Mauricio Funes (R) as El Salvador's President Antonio Saca looks on in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, April 19, 2009. Barack Obama met with Central American leaders on the sidelines of the 5th Summit of the Americas in the Caribbean twin island state of Trinidad and Tobago Sunday. [Foto Presidencia El Salvador/William Martinez/Xinhua]

"I am looking forward to hearing more about how the United States can be an effective partner with all the countries represented," the president told reporters before meeting Central American leaders on the sidelines of the 5th Summit of the Americas in the Caribbean twin island state of Trinidad and Tobago.

Obama said the United States has a long history of relations with Central America, "a critical partner on a whole range of issues."

Obama also said the meeting will be an opportunity for him "to hear more directly about both challenges and opportunities in the region."

The president, visiting Latin America for the first time, has pledged to 33 other regional leaders attending the three-day summit his administration intends to seek a "new beginning" with Cuba and to build a "new partnership" with Latin America.

(Xinhua News Agency April 20, 2009)