El Salvador gets leftist president — and U.S. applause

SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador — Nearly two decades after the end of a U.S.-backed war against El Salvador's rebels, Mauricio Funes, a former member of a guerrilla movement, took power on Monday — with a top American official applauding.

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton attended the inauguration dressed in bright red, the color of the Farabundo Martí Liberation Front (FMLN). It was an image that would have been unthinkable in the 1980s, when the United States poured $6 billion into El Salvador to fight the rebel group backed by Cuba and the Soviet Union.

The FMLN laid down its arms in 1992 and joined the political system. But some U.S. lawmakers still worry about the party, fearing it could propel El Salvador into the orbit of anti-American countries such as Venezuela. Clinton, however, told reporters here that she expects "a positive relationship" with Funes, who is considered by many Latin Americans to be a moderate.

El Salvador has been one of the staunchest U.S. allies in Latin America, maintaining troops in Iraq until this year. Funes immediately signaled a departure from his predecessors, announcing the resumption of diplomatic ties with Cuba. Still, the new government is expected to maintain a strong relationship with the United States. El Salvador receives $4 billion a year from immigrants in the U.S., and it sells half its exports to the U.S. market.

Funes vows to keep close ties with the United States and retain the dollar as his country's currency.

In his inaugural speech at an amphitheater packed with men in red ties and women in red jackets, Funes hailed his two political heroes: President Luis Inácio Lula da Silva of Brazil, a moderate leftist, and President Obama.

The men, he said, were "proof that progressive leaders, instead of being a threat, represent a new and secure road for their countries."

Earlier, Funes visited the grave of Archbishop Oscar Arnulfo Romero, who was assassinated in 1980 after speaking out against human-rights abuses by the U.S.-backed regime.

"This day fulfills Monseñor Romero's dream," said Lidia Torres de Garcia, 76.