The eighth Summit of the Americas, a conference that draws together the leaders of North, Central and South America, begins in Lima, Peru, on Friday amid continued political instability throughout the region.

Business leaders are set to convene the first meeting of the summit on Monday morning. The topics to be discussed include Latin America's economic outlook and recommendations from civil society actors.

As of April 5, at least 20 heads of state had committed to attending the summit.

"We are ready, prepared, and everything is very well organised to welcome the important Heads of State and their delegations," Peru's Foreign Affairs Minister Nestor Popolizio said in a press release.

The summit's theme is "Democratic Governance against Corruption".

Regional tumult

The summit comes during a time of region-wide political instability and change. Peru's President Martin Vizcarra assumed office on March 23, after former president and billionaire businessman Pedro Pablo Kuczynski resigned due to numerous scandals throughout his short presidency.

The Odebrecht bribery scandal was among the scandals that marred Kuczynski's tenure. Odebrecht is a Brazilian construction company behind the 2014 world cup in Brazil, the 2016 Olympic Games in the same country, Caracas, Venezuela's metro system and numerous other projects across the continent, as well as Portugal, Mozambique and Angola.

Odebrecht has reportedly admitted to bribing politicians throughout the region with payments numbering in the hundreds of millions of dollars.

Kuczynski was accused of lying about payments received from the firm in the mid-2000s.

Petrobras, Brazil's state-controlled petroleum firm, has its own multimillion-dollar graft scheme that allegedly involved officials taking bribes to award construction contracts to companies at inflated rates.

Former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, commonly called Lula turned himself into police on April 7 after a dramatic standoff with police. The Supreme Court denied a request from Lula to avoid beginning his 12-year jail sentence while he exhausted all of his appeals over a corruption conviction.

Lula, a left-wing populist, still has a strong base of support in Brazil, which is currently headed by a right-wing government. He had hoped to run for president during October's elections.

Over the past two years, there have been further protests and political battles in Ecuador, Argentina, Bolivia and Mexico.

Trouble north of the border

US President Donald Trump was expected to attend the summit, but cancelled on Tuesday, citing developments in Syria.

Mexico, along with Central American states El Salvador and Honduras, have enjoyed strained relations with the US since Trump assumed office in January 2017.

The Trump administration initiated a crackdown on undocumented immigrants from Latin America, - especially Mexico and Central America countries - living in the US. Trump has also repeatedly called for a wall along the US-Mexico border.

Last week, the Trump administration announced it would send 500 National Guard troops to the border, and several states have pledged to send more.

Venezuela will hold snap presidential elections in May. Several Latin American governments have said they won't recognise the election after the main opposition coalition was barred from running in January.

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro was not invited to the summit but has said he will attend.

The Trump administration is in the middle of renegotiations of the North American Free Trade Agreement, which opened trade between Canada, Mexico and the US.

The Trump administration is currently in talks to change aspects of the agreement to better favour US businesses. Trump told US officials on April 5 he expects a deal to be reached "soon".</s>Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Saturday backed air strikes on Syria's chemical weapons programme by the United States and its allies, but Argentina, Brazil and Peru at a summit in Lima voiced caution about escalating military action.

LIMA: Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Saturday backed air strikes on Syria's chemical weapons programme by the United States and its allies, but Argentina, Brazil and Peru at a summit in Lima voiced caution about escalating military action.

Addressing regional leaders at the Summit of the Americas in Peru, Trudeau and several other leaders across the Western Hemisphere condemned the use of chemical weapons.

"Those responsible must be brought to justice," Trudeau said in a plenary session.

But Washington's retaliatory strikes drew pleas for caution from Latin American countries.

"There's deep concern in Brasil with the escalation of military conflict in Syria. It's time to find permanent solutions based in the international law to a war that has been going for far too long and ended too many lives," Brazilian President Michel Temer said in the plenary.

Peru, a non-permanent member of the United Nations security council, called for moderation from all parties involved and said it backed a "political solution," according to a statement from the foreign ministry.

Argentine President Mauricio Macri also called for the international community to seek to avoid flaming tensions further and to work "in the framework of existing international commitments."

The official theme of the Summit of the Americas is the fight against corruption. Many countries in attendance are also expected to condemn a pending election in Venezuela.

But Syria, China and trade loomed over the talks on Saturday as Washington seeks to advance the agenda of U.S. President Donald Trump, which is widely unpopular in the region.

Trump cancelled his attendance at the summit to focus on Syria. U.S. Vice President Mike Pence, who is filling in for him, is expected to discuss Syria in his speech on Saturday and in meetings with heads of state.

The Pentagon said on Saturday that U.S. strikes in Syria overnight had successfully hit every target and were aimed to deliver an unambiguous signal to the Syrian government and deter the future use of chemical weapons.</s>LIMA (Reuters) - Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Saturday backed air strikes by the United States and its allies on Syria’s chemical weapons program but Argentina, Brazil and Peru voiced caution during a regional summit about the escalating military action.

Speaking at the Summit of the Americas in Peru, Trudeau and several other Western Hemisphere leaders forcefully condemned the use of chemical weapons, following a suspected poison gas attack last week in a Damascus suburb that killed up to 75 people and sparked international outcry.

Washington blamed Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s government for the attack and, together with Britain and France, launched missile strikes overnight on what it said were Syrian chemical weapons facilities.

“Canada stands with our friends in this necessary response and we condemn in the strongest possible terms the use of chemical weapons in last week’s attack,” Trudeau said in his speech. “Those responsible must be brought to justice.”

But the retaliatory action drew pleas for caution from several Latin American countries.

“There’s deep concern in Brazil with the escalation of military conflict in Syria,” Brazilian President Michel Temer told the summit. “It’s time to find permanent solutions based on international law to a war that has been going for far too long and ended too many lives.”

Peru, a non-permanent member of the U.N. Security Council, called for moderation from all parties involved in Syria and said it was working to find a political solution, according to a foreign ministry statement.

Argentine President Mauricio Macri also appealed for greater coordination on Syria “in the framework of existing international commitments”, remarks later echoed by Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto.

Outside the summit, the strikes drew swift condemnation from left-leaning governments in Bolivia and Cuba, outspoken critics of U.S. influence.

But Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos, a close U.S. ally in Latin America, appeared to back Washington as he condemned chemical weapons.

“We support actions to punish their use and seek their total elimination,” Santos said.

The Pentagon said the missile strikes in Syria had hit every target. It said the military action was aimed at delivering an unambiguous signal to the Syrian government and deterring the future use of chemical weapons.

The official theme of the Summit of the Americas is the fight against corruption. Many countries in attendance are also expected to condemn a pending election in Venezuela.

But Syria, China and trade loomed over the talks on Saturday as Washington seeks to advance the agenda of U.S. President Donald Trump, which is widely unpopular in the region.

Trump canceled his attendance at the summit to focus on Syria. U.S. Vice President Mike Pence, filling in for him, was expected to discuss Syria in his speech on Saturday and in meetings with heads of state.

Pence met with Pena Nieto privately at the summit. The Mexican leader told reporters they would discuss not just the renegotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) but also maintaining a relationship of “mutual respect” between their two countries.

Pence and Pena Nieto kept their remarks to reporters extremely brief - in contrast to the more expansive and warmer tone struck by Pence and Trudeau during the public part of a meeting held minutes earlier.

Trudeau said there was “positive momentum” on reworking the NAFTA accord - which groups Canada, Mexico and the United States - while Pence said talks were encouraging.

“As the president said very recently, we think we’re close,” Pence said before starting the meeting with Pena Nieto. “We are hopeful that we can conclude a successful renegotiation of NAFTA.”</s>LIMA, April 14 (Reuters) - Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Saturday backed air strikes by the United States and its allies on Syria's chemical weapons program but Argentina, Brazil and Peru voiced caution during a regional summit about the escalating military action.

Speaking at the Summit of the Americas in Peru, Trudeau and several other Western Hemisphere leaders forcefully condemned the use of chemical weapons, following a suspected poison gas attack last week in a Damascus suburb that killed up to 75 people and sparked international outcry.

Washington blamed Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's government for the attack and, together with Britain and France, launched missile strikes overnight on what it said were Syrian chemical weapons facilities.

"Canada stands with our friends in this necessary response and we condemn in the strongest possible terms the use of chemical weapons in last week's attack," Trudeau said in his speech. "Those responsible must be brought to justice."

But the retaliatory action drew pleas for caution from several Latin American countries.

"There's deep concern in Brazil with the escalation of military conflict in Syria," Brazilian President Michel Temer told the summit. "It's time to find permanent solutions based on international law to a war that has been going for far too long and ended too many lives."

Peru, a non-permanent member of the U.N. Security Council, called for moderation from all parties involved in Syria and said it was working to find a political solution, according to a foreign ministry statement.

Argentine President Mauricio Macri also appealed for greater coordination on Syria "in the framework of existing international commitments", remarks later echoed by Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto.

Outside the summit, the strikes drew swift condemnation from left-leaning governments in Bolivia and Cuba, outspoken critics of U.S. influence.

But Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos, a close U.S. ally in Latin America, appeared to back Washington as he condemned chemical weapons.

"We support actions to punish their use and seek their total elimination," Santos said.

The Pentagon said the missile strikes in Syria had hit every target. It said the military action was aimed at delivering an unambiguous signal to the Syrian government and deterring the future use of chemical weapons.

The official theme of the Summit of the Americas is the fight against corruption. Many countries in attendance are also expected to condemn a pending election in Venezuela.

But Syria, China and trade loomed over the talks on Saturday as Washington seeks to advance the agenda of U.S. President Donald Trump, which is widely unpopular in the region.

Trump canceled his attendance at the summit to focus on Syria. U.S. Vice President Mike Pence, filling in for him, was expected to discuss Syria in his speech on Saturday and in meetings with heads of state.

Pence met with Pena Nieto privately at the summit. The Mexican leader told reporters they would discuss not just the renegotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) but also maintaining a relationship of "mutual respect" between their two countries.

Pence and Pena Nieto kept their remarks to reporters extremely brief - in contrast to the more expansive and warmer tone struck by Pence and Trudeau during the public part of a meeting held minutes earlier.

Trudeau said there was "positive momentum" on reworking the NAFTA accord - which groups Canada, Mexico and the United States - while Pence said talks were encouraging.

"As the president said very recently, we think we're close," Pence said before starting the meeting with Pena Nieto. "We are hopeful that we can conclude a successful renegotiation of NAFTA." (Reporting By Roberta Rampton, Lisandra Paraguassu, Teresa Cespedes Writing by Mitra Taj Editing by Daniel Flynn and Alistair Bell)</s>Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Saturday backed air strikes on Syria's chemical weapons programme by the United States and its allies, but Argentina, Brazil and Peru at a summit in Lima voiced caution about escalating military action.

LIMA: Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Saturday backed air strikes on Syria's chemical weapons programme by the United States and its allies, but Argentina, Brazil and Peru at a summit in Lima voiced caution about escalating military action.

Addressing regional leaders at the Summit of the Americas in Peru, Trudeau and several other leaders across the Western Hemisphere condemned the use of chemical weapons.

"Those responsible must be brought to justice," Trudeau said in a plenary session.

But Washington's retaliatory strikes drew pleas for caution from Latin American countries.

"There's deep concern in Brasil with the escalation of military conflict in Syria. It's time to find permanent solutions based in the international law to a war that has been going for far too long and ended too many lives," Brazilian President Michel Temer said in the plenary.

Peru, a non-permanent member of the United Nations security council, called for moderation from all parties involved and said it backed a "political solution," according to a statement from the foreign ministry.

Argentine President Mauricio Macri also called for the international community to seek to avoid flaming tensions further and to work "in the framework of existing international commitments."

The official theme of the Summit of the Americas is the fight against corruption. Many countries in attendance are also expected to condemn a pending election in Venezuela.

But Syria, China and trade loomed over the talks on Saturday as Washington seeks to advance the agenda of U.S. President Donald Trump, which is widely unpopular in the region.

Trump cancelled his attendance at the summit to focus on Syria. U.S. Vice President Mike Pence, who is filling in for him, is expected to discuss Syria in his speech on Saturday and in meetings with heads of state.

The Pentagon said on Saturday that U.S. strikes in Syria overnight had successfully hit every target and were aimed to deliver an unambiguous signal to the Syrian government and deter the future use of chemical weapons.</s>OTTAWA — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is off to South America today for a major foreign tour that will see him attend two international summits over a stretch of 10 days.

The trip is seen as an opportunity for Trudeau to turn the page on his widely criticized recent trips to China and India — and to land some new trade partners for Canada.

His first stop will be Lima, Peru, where leaders from more than 30 Western Hemisphere countries will gather for the 8th Summit of the Americas.

There had been speculation that Canada, the U.S. and Mexico would announce some form of an agreement in principle on a new North American Free Trade Agreement during the summit.

But while high-level talks are still expected to take place, U.S. President Donald Trump's decision to skip the gathering has dampened talk of ceremonial surprises.

Instead, the meeting is likely to be dominated by the political crisis in Venezuela.

While there, Trudeau will also get a rare chance to meet with Latin America's largest trading bloc, Mercosur, which counts powerhouse Brazil as well as Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay among its members.

Following two days of meetings in Peru, Trudeau will travel to Paris for his first official visit to France and a meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron. He will also address the French National Assembly and hold several speaking engagements.

The prime minister will end his tour in London, where he will meet the Queen and British Prime Minister Theresa May before joining leaders from 52 other nations for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, where trade will top the agenda.</s>WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Vice President Mike Pence will meet on Saturday with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on the sidelines of the Summit of the Americas in Lima, Peru, a White House official said on Thursday.

The meeting comes amid efforts to renegotiate the North America Free Trade Agreement. U.S. President Donald Trump said earlier on Thursday the talks were “coming along great” and “we’re getting pretty close to a deal.”

Trump had been scheduled to attend the Americas summit but decided this week to send Pence instead so he could remain in the United States to focus on formulating a U.S. response to a suspected chemical weapons attack in Syria last weekend.</s>LIMA, Peru (AP) - The Latest on the Summit of the Americas (all times local):

Senate Democrats are urging Vice President Mike Pence to use his trip to Lima to reset relations with a region where they say President Donald Trump's immigrant-bashing rhetoric is costing the U.S. influence.

Demonstrators protest against the upcoming Summit of the Americas, in Lima, Peru, Thursday, April 12, 2018. U.S. President Donald Trump who had planned to attend the 8th Summit of the Americas in Lima canceled his plans, choosing to stay in Washington to manage the U.S. response to an apparent chemical weapons attack on civilians in Syria. The international summit begins tomorrow.(AP Photo/Karel Navarro)

A letter written by New Jersey Democrat Bob Menendez and 13 Senate colleagues says that Trump's derogatory comments about Mexican immigrants and Haiti are "damaging to critical relationships we need to promote our own national interests."

The letter also chastises the Trump administration for deep cuts in foreign aid, ending the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program for so-called "Dreamers" and for its decision to plow ahead with plans to build a wall on the border of Mexico. The letter blames those policies for declining support for the U.S. in the region at a time China and Russia are making important inroads.

The senators encourage Trump to drop an "America First" policy they say is divisive "and embrace instead an 'Americas together' policy." They say that would "advance our strategic interests in the Western Hemisphere, engage our neighbors in a respectful manner, and build on our shared values."

A copy of the letter was provided to The Associated Press.

In this handout photo provided by the Peruvian government, Peru's President Martin Vizcarra, left, talks with Ecuadorean President Lenin Moreno, at the Palace of Pizarro also known as Government Palace, in Lima Peru, Thursday, April 12, 2018. Moreno has returned home early from the regional summit amid unconfirmed reports that three press workers kidnapped along the increasingly conflictive border with Colombia have been slain. (Andres Valle/Peruvian Government via AP)</s>Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will meet with U.S. Vice President Mike Pence on Saturday on the sidelines of the Summit of the Americas in Lima, Peru, Canadian officials confirmed Friday.

The meeting is scheduled for 10:30 am local time, officials at the Prime Minister’s Office said.

The meeting comes amid efforts to renegotiate the North America Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and signs that U.S. President Donald Trump is considering rejoining the recently signed Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP).

Speaking on background, Canadian officials said they expect the meeting to focus on NAFTA and the benefits of free trade for all three North American nations.

Trudeau is also scheduled to meet with Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto Friday to discuss NAFTA.

Trump said on Thursday the NAFTA talks between Canada, Mexico and the U.S. were “coming along great” and “we’re getting pretty close to a deal.”

That same day Trump tweeted that the U.S. would only join the CPTPP, a multinational trade deal his administration walked away from last year, if it offered “substantially better” terms than those provided under previous TPP negotiations.

Canadian officials have yet to officially react to the possibility of Washington joining the 11-nation trade pact, which also includes Australia, Brunei, Chile, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore and Vietnam.

Officials at the PMO said Trudeau would not “shy away from touting the benefits of progressive trade” if the topic of CPTPP comes up.

Trudeau’s trip to Peru is focused on drumming up investment in Canada and the prime minister is expected to play the role of salesman-in-chief by addressing participants of the III CEO Summit of the Americas “Invest in Canada” session, PMO officials said.

Trump had been scheduled to attend the Americas summit but decided this week to send Pence instead so he could remain in the United States to focus on formulating a U.S. response to a suspected chemical weapons attack in Syria last weekend.</s>(AP Photo/Karel Navarro). Demonstrators protest against the upcoming Summit of the Americas, in Lima, Peru, Thursday, April 12, 2018. U.S. President Donald Trump who had planned to attend the 8th Summit of the Americas in Lima canceled his plans, choos...

(Andres Valle/Peruvian Government via AP). In this handout photo provided by the Peruvian government, Peru's President Martin Vizcarra, left, talks with Ecuadorean President Lenin Moreno, at the Palace of Pizarro also known as Government Palace, in Lim...

(AP Photo/Martin Mejia). Inter-American Development Bank, IDB, President Luis Alberto Moreno, right, speaks next to U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, during a press conference at theWestin Hotel in Lima, Peru, Friday, April 13, 2018. Moreno and Ross...

(AP Photo/Karel Navarro). U.S. Vice President Mike Pence shakes hands with Peruvian diplomat Gustavo Bravo upon his arrival at the Jorge Chavez international airport in Lima, Peru, Friday, April 13, 2018. Pence is in Lima to attend the Americas Summit.

LIMA, Peru (AP) - Cuban President Raul Castro joined a steadily growing list of leaders who have followed U.S. President Donald Trump in choosing to send a surrogate to what is shaping up into a decidedly low-key Summit of the Americas.

The gathering of Western Hemisphere leaders kicked off Friday in Peru without the presence of at least five presidents besides Trump - and the list of canceled RSVPs could grow.

Castro had never officially confirmed his attendance but he was widely expected to show up to bid farewell to regional allies as he prepares to step down from the Cuban presidency in a week's time. Instead he sent his Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez to lead the Cuban delegation.

Nicaragua's President Daniel Ortega was also widely expected to snub the event in solidarity with fellow leftist Nicolas Maduro of Venezuela, who had his invitation withdrawn.

Meanwhile, the presidents of El Salvador, Guatemala and Paraguay all announced they will be staying home, saying they need to attend to pressing domestic matters and will send alternates instead. Ecuador's president showed up but then quickly returned home after three journalists kidnapped by holdout Colombian rebels were killed.

Analysts said the shrinking list of presidential attendees could be indicative of declining U.S. influence in the hemisphere. Trump is the first U.S. president to ditch the event, which was started by President Bill Clinton in 1994 as a way to assert American trade influence in the region. Trump canceled in order to manage the U.S. response to an apparent chemical weapons attack on civilians in Syria.

"It appears that in most of these situations, there are specific and unique reasons for heads of state not to attend," said Matt Clausen, who is in Lima as head of the Washington Office on Latin America. "What has changed since President Trump pulled out is the calculus about the overall importance of the summit."

And it isn't just a rising roster of no-shows that make this year's summit of dubious importance: Presidents from three of Latin America's most populous nations who are attending are all slated to leave office within the next 12 months.

The summit was initially started to promote democracy and free trade in the Americas, but in recent years both topics have become testy subjects. Instead the summit has become a stage for awkward encounters between leftist leaders and their northern counterparts.

Protesters led by soccer legend Diego Maradona burned an effigy of President George W. Bush to protest the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq at the 2005 summit in Argentina. Four years later, the late Venezuelan leader Hugo Chavez famously gave then President Barack Obama a copy of a classic leftist book, "The Open Veins of Latin America," detailing the history of U.S. military interventions in the region.

Another key summit moment came in 2015 when Obama and Castro shook hands while in Panama City four months after the U.S. announced it would renew diplomatic relations with the communist island.

Things have changed dramatically since that handshake.

The Trump administration has rolled back many of Obama's overtures to open travel and commerce with the island and withdrawn most of its diplomats in Cuba over mysterious "sonic attacks" in Havana. Many feared that if Trump had showed up at this year's summit, his harsh anti-immigrant rhetoric and threats to pull out of regional trade deals would have generated tense encounters.

Vice President Mike Pence is expected to use the trip to promote trade and urge regional partners to further isolate Venezuela's government. The region has been grappling with how to respond to Maduro's increasingly autocratic rule, along with a crippling economic crisis and an exploding tide of migration.

Maduro was barred from this year's meeting over his plans to hold a presidential election that most of the opposition is boycotting and that many foreign governments are decrying as a sham. The Venezuelan president said Trump's cancellation was another sign the U.S. still views Latin America as Washington's backyard.

Several of Venezuela's most prominent opposition leaders are gathered in Lima, hoping to help build a forceful region-wide response.

Just before the summit was set to get underway Friday, Trump signaled that he might reopen talks on a Pacific Rim trade deal that he pulled the U.S. out of after taking office.

Without mentioning Trump's policy reversal on the Trans Pacific-Partnership, Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau celebrated that several countries in the hemisphere including host Peru - one of the most-open economies in Latin America - have embraced his government's vision of beneficial free trade agreements.

Mexico's President Enrique Pena Nieto also urged the Trump administration to join the accord.

"There's a door open for the U.S. to rethink and eventually reconsider its position," he told a group of business leaders.

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Heads of state and government from across the Americas meet in Lima, Peru, for the Eighth Summit of the Americas.