US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has pledged more foreign aid to fight drug cartels in Central America.

美国国务卿希拉里承诺向中美地区提供更多援助以打击毒品犯罪。

Mrs Clinton told a regional security conference in Guatemala that the US would increase its aid by more than 10% to nearly $300m (£187m).

Analysts¹ say the figure is still small, given that more than two-thirds of cocaine² sent from South America to the US now passes through Central America.

In total, some $1.8bn was promised to support the region's security.

The World Bank is to provide $1bn in the coming years, said Pamela Cox, the bank's vice-president for Latin America and the Caribbean.

The Inter-American Development Bank (IADB) will also offer $500m over two years.

Announcing the increased US funding, Mrs Clinton said Washington was committed to helping³ the region.

"Everyone knows the statistics, the murder rates surpassing（胜过） civil war levels," she said in remarks to the Central American Security Conference (SICA).

Mrs Clinton said funding to tackle transnational organised crime in the region would be increased from $260m in 2010 to almost $300m this year.

But she stressed she expected Central American nations to pull their weight.

"We will be your ready partners but it must begin with you and led by you," she told leaders from across the region.