Their visit was part of a US tour to push for ratification of the Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA).

"This trade agreement could help usher in a new era of cooperation between our countries and enhanced prosperity in the region," Rumsfeld said in a statement.

Reviewing the troops at a Pentagon parade ground were Presidents Enrique Bolanos of Nicaragua, Ricardo Maduro of Honduras, Abel Pacheco of Costa Rica, Oscar Berger of Guatemala, Antonio Saca of El Salvador and Leonel Fernandez of the Dominican Republic.

Rumsfeld said threats to the region came from "an antisocial combination of gangs, drug traffickers, smugglers, hostage takers and terrorists."

"It is increasingly clear that they can be effectively combatted -- and are being combatted -- only by close cooperation among nations," he said.

El Salvador, Nicaragua, Honduras and the Dominican Republic had troops in the multinational force in Iraq. El Salvador still has several hundred troops there.

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