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Skriven 2005-03-23 23:34:12 av Whitehouse Press (1:3634/12.0)
Ärende: Press Release (0503232) for Wed, 2005 Mar 23
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Joint Statement by President Bush, President Fox, and Prime Minister Martin
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For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
March 23, 2005

Joint Statement by President Bush, President Fox, and Prime Minister Martin



Joint Statement by President Bush, President Fox, and Prime Minister Martin

Security and Prosperity Partnership of North America

We, the elected leaders of Canada, Mexico, and the United States, gather in
Texas to announce the establishment of the Security and Prosperity
Partnership of North America.

Over the past decade, our three nations have taken important steps to
expand economic opportunity for our people and to create the most vibrant
and dynamic trade relationship in the world. Since September 11, 2001, we
have also taken significant new steps to address the threat of terrorism
and to enhance the security of our people.

But more needs to be done. In a rapidly changing world, we must develop new
avenues of cooperation that will make our open societies safer and more
secure, our businesses more competitive, and our economies more resilient.

Our Partnership will accomplish these objectives through a trilateral
effort to increase the security, prosperity, and quality of life of our
citizens. This work will be based on the principle that our security and
prosperity are mutually dependent and complementary, and will reflect our
shared belief in freedom, economic opportunity, and strong democratic
values and institutions. Also, it will help consolidate our action into a
North American framework to confront security and economic challenges, and
promote the full potential of our people, addressing disparities and
increasing opportunities for all.

Our Partnership is committed to reach the highest results to advance the
security and well-being of our people. The Partnership is trilateral in
concept; while allowing any two countries to move forward on an issue, it
will create a path for the third to join later.

Advancing our Common Security

We will establish a common approach to security to protect North America
from external threats, prevent and respond to threats within North America,
and further streamline the secure and efficient movement of legitimate,
low-risk traffic across our shared borders. As part of our efforts, we
will:

  þ Implement common border security and bioprotection strategies;

  þ Enhance critical infrastructure protection, and implement a common approach
to emergency response;

  þ Implement improvements in aviation and maritime security, combat
transnational threats, and enhance intelligence partnerships; and

  þ Implement a border facilitation strategy to build capacity and improve the
legitimate flow of people and cargo at our shared borders.

Advancing our Common Prosperity

We will work to enhance North American competitiveness and improve the
quality of life of our people. Among other things, we will:

  þ Improve productivity through regulatory cooperation to generate growth,
while maintaining high standards for health and safety;

  þ Promote sectoral collaboration in energy, transportation, financial
services, technology, and other areas to facilitate business; and invest in
our people;

  þ Reduce the costs of trade through the efficient movement of goods and
people; and

  þ Enhance the stewardship of our environment, create a safer and more
reliable food supply while facilitating agricultural trade, and protect our
people from disease.

Next Steps

We will establish Ministerial-led working groups that will consult with
stakeholders in our respective countries. These working groups will respond
to the priorities of our people and our businesses, and will set specific,
measurable, and achievable goals. They will identify concrete steps that
our governments can take to meet these goals, and set implementation dates
that will permit a rolling harvest of accomplishments.

Within 90 days, Ministers will report back to us with their initial report.
Following this, the groups will report on a semi-annual basis. Because the
Partnership will be an ongoing process of cooperation, new items will be
added to the work agenda by mutual agreement as circumstances warrant.

Through this Partnership, we will ensure that North America remains the
most economically dynamic region of the world and a secure home for our
people in this and future generations.

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