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Skriven 2007-03-14 23:31:52 av Whitehouse Press (1:3634/12.0)
Ärende: Press Release (0703144) for Wed, 2007 Mar 14
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Joint U.S.-Mexico Communiqué
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For Immediate Release Office of the Press Secretary March 14, 2007

Joint U.S.-Mexico Communiqué

˙˙White House News

˙˙˙˙˙ President's Trip to Latin America

Mexico and the United States, as proud and sovereign countries, today
reiterate their conviction that the shared values of democracy,
transparency, rule of law, and respect for human rights are the solid
foundation on which the increasingly rich and complex networks that link
their economies and societies are based.

Presidents Felipe Calderon and George Bush resolved during their first
official meeting in Mexico on March 13 and 14, 2007 in Merida, Yucat n, to
strengthen the partnership between two friendly neighbors. They agreed that
government to government relations are but one small measure of the
interaction between our two great countries. Our ties are deeper and wider:
they are societal, economic, cultural, and familial.

During their meeting, the Presidents reviewed the wide range of issues of
the bilateral relationship and the cooperation undertaken by their
governments in order to promote productive and mutually beneficial
relations between Mexico and the United States. The Presidents identified
new opportunities to work together in order to improve the quality of life
of their peoples as well as to make North America the most prosperous,
secure and competitive region in the world.

In this vein, the Presidents acknowledged that economic growth and job
creation are vital to reducing poverty and inequality and improving the
quality of life. They emphasized the centrality of expanding trade between
the United States and Mexico as the basis for our shared prosperity. They
recognized the need for our governments to work together to speed and
facilitate the secure and ever-expanding movement of legitimate goods and
people across our shared border, including the development of new
infrastructure and the more efficient use of existing infrastructure, where
possible.

In seeking to enhance North American competitiveness based on the twin
pillars of security and prosperity, the Presidents also underscored their
awareness regarding the need to work together to facilitate the transition
to full free trade in such areas as agricultural products. To this end, the
Presidents agreed to intensify the discussions within the framework of the
bilateral working group on corn and dry beans.

The Presidents recognized the continued threat to both nations posed by
organized crime and drug trafficking, especially their associated violence,
which do not respect borders. They underlined that the important efforts of
the Mexican Government to confront organized crime head-on, as one of the
most important priorities of its own domestic agenda, would benefit from
increased support from and cooperation with the United States. In this
connection, they reiterated their commitment to intensify cooperation and
information sharing between the law enforcement agencies of Mexico and the
United States, especially along the border region. The Presidents stressed
their commitment to increase bilateral cooperation to target criminal
organizations, fight arms trafficking, which fuels the violence of criminal
organizations, as well as drug trafficking, including methamphetamine and
precursor chemicals, and illicit financial activities, including bulk
currency smuggling across our borders.

The management of the U.S.-Mexican border is a shared responsibility. Our
common fight against organized crime must be accompanied by cooperative
actions in other areas which will also promote the security, prosperity and
well-being of our border communities. Improved communication and
information-sharing at all levels will allow us to continue to transform
the border into a region of growing and shared prosperity.

Recognizing that the border region encompasses a remarkable diversity in
landscape and native species, the Presidents acknowledged the need to
continue efforts to protect our shared natural resources, including air and
water, through binational cooperation.

The Presidents recognized that immigration across our common border vitally
links both countries, involves shared responsibilities, and represents one
of the most critical issues for the future well-being of both our peoples.
In this regard they underscored the need to encourage productive investment
aimed at creating more and better paid jobs in Mexico as an essential
component of any comprehensive strategy to address this phenomenon and
agreed on the need to continue advocating an approach to comprehensive
immigration reform.

The Presidents also agreed to explore opportunities for people-to-people
exchanges, especially in education, as a central tool in fostering greater
understanding between our two countries. In this context they stressed that
the investment Mexico and the United States make in human capital must be
considered an essential component of their efforts to promote North
America's competitiveness and economic growth with justice and security for
our peoples.

Finally, Presidents Calderon and Bush reiterated their conviction that the
future of Mexico and the United States - and of the whole North American
region - is now, more than ever, a shared future. Our commitment to the
advancement of democracy, the respect for human rights, the promotion of
free markets, the rule of law, security, sustainable development, and
expanding opportunity for all, they underlined, will contribute to the
consolidation of a prosperous, just, and peaceful future for all citizens
in the Americas.

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