Obama says Latin America trip all about jobs

President Barack Obama, under pressure to speed job growth in the United States, is framing a five-day Latin America tour as all about creating jobs for Americans.

Obama flew overnight from Washington to Brasilia to kick off a swing through Brazil, Chile and El Salvador.

"I want to open more markets around the world so that American companies can do more business and hire more of our people," Obama said in his weekly Internet and radio address on Saturday.

Jobs and the economy are the top issues facing Obama as he seeks to bring down the persistently high 8.9 percent jobless rate and nurture a recovery that is trying to struggle past rising gasoline prices.

His handling of the economy will be a key factor facing Obama in his 2012 re-election bid.

He is going ahead with the Latin America trip despite crises abroad that have commanded his attention in recent days, such as the threat of allied military action in Libya and quake-stricken Japan's nuclear crisis.

Aides said he is fully capable of managing American interests in those hotspots while on the road.

"As we respond to these immediate crises abroad, we also will not let up in our efforts to tackle the pressing, ongoing challenges facing our country, including accelerating economic growth," Obama said.

Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell, in an opinion article written for the Miami Herald, said Obama could bolster his case for wanting to create jobs by completing long-stalled free-trade deals with Colombia and Panama.

"With 14 million Americans out of work, passing these trade agreements and having the president sign them is one of the easiest ways to help American-based businesses create good paying, private-sector jobs," McConnell wrote.

Meanwhile, police fired rubber bullets and used tear gas to disperse protesters outside the U.S. consulate in Rio de Janeiro on Friday prior to Obama’s visit. Obama also cancelled an outdoor speech in Rio.

Some 300 protesters had gathered outside the U.S. consulate when Brazilian Military Police arrived and tried to break up the demonstration.

Police cracked down on the crowd after protesters hurled a Molotov cocktail at the consulate door, the O Globo newspaper reported on its website.

"I was in the center of the protest when people began to run and I heard shots," said AFP photographer Vanderlei Almeida. "I had to get out of there because it was hard to breathe."

Almeida was struck by two rubber bullets -- one hit him in the leg, and the other in his stomach.

Several protesters were detained, Almeida said.