The Central American countries agreed here on Saturday to set up a rotating mechanism in a bid to open partnership negotiations with the European Union (EU) in 2007.

The agreement was reached as the countries' leaders wrapped up a one-day summit of the Central American Integration System (SICA) in San Jose, Costa Rica.

Under the mechanism, any country, which hosts SICA's talks with the EU, will launch negotiations with the European bloc representing all member countries.

SICA and the EU decided in May 2006 to launch negotiations as of early 2007 to reach a bilateral partnership deal, which consists of free trade agreement, political dialogue mechanism and cooperation mechanism.

At a press conference after the summit, Honduran President Manuel Zelaya Rosales said the past 20 years of Central America's experience showed that protectionism in trade and economic blockade would exacerbate poverty, foment social instability and brew governmental corruption.

All Central American countries have embarked on the course of opening up economy and regional integration in efforts to bridge the gap between the rich and the poor, he added.

Taking a similar line, Panamanian President Martin Torrijos said the efforts by the Central America to integrate and its free trade talks with the EU would bring more investment and create more job opportunities in the region.

SICA, established in 1993, groups Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua and Panama, and it is headquartered in El Salvador's capital San Salvador.

SICA is designed to transform the Central America into a region of peace, liberty, democracy and development in a long-term.

Source: Xinhua