President Bush, President Fox Meet with Reporters in Mexico
Remarks by President Bush and President Fox of Mexico in Press Availability
Quinta Real Hotel
Monterrey, Mexico
2:12 P.M. (Local)
PRESIDENT FOX: Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. President
Bush, welcome to Mexico, and welcome to Monterrey. We receive you with
great enthusiasm, the way we are receiving the leaders of the countries
of America. We have great expectations in order to work in this
extraordinary Summit of the Americas.
In order to know each other better -- all of us leaders have had
responsibilities in America -- it's best to analyze extraordinary
matters that have been brought about in the last few years, since the
last meeting of the Americas. While checking and making a revision on
these matters, we can give broad solutions to the problems -- economic
and poverty problems in a great part of the continent; perhaps
solutions to the problems of human capital, social capital in our
respective countries; and likewise deal, as we have been doing in every
single meeting, with the safety and security matters, going deep inside
the problems of corruption, making sure that in our countries democracy
should be there and the state of law should be there. So this meeting
will enable us to give steps forward in all these multilateral topics.
Likewise, we have had a bilateral meeting -- and I will mention
this later on -- a couple of matters, important matters in reference to
this bilateral conversation. First of all, relating to that migration
topic, President Bush has given us in full detail and has told us once
again the proposal made in the United States for the migration matters
and the policy that should be checked upon that -- that topic. It's a
sovereign matter of the United States.
Consequently this migration proposal is analyzed according to the
different conversations that President Bush and President Fox, myself,
even when he was a governor in the state of Texas and I was a governor
in the state of Guanajuato. Since that time, we have been touching
upon this subject. And we did that in the first meeting in Rancho San
Cristobal in the state of Guanajuato. We did it once again and we
spoke about migration. We have been doing this in each one of the
different meetings.
So I would like to give full acknowledgement that part of the
conversations, a great part of the conversations have been collected
and analyzed. But this is a proposal made by the President of the
United States. We totally agree, and are aware that the proposal
should be discussed, broadly discussed, analyzed, particularly in the
Congress of the United States. Consequently, we should give full time
so that the idea -- well, the idea should mature and it should
definitely be approved.
So, for us in Mexico, this is a very important step forward on what
has to do with the relationship between the two countries on what has
to do with the migration flow. It is a topic with a great priority for
our countries, for both countries. This proposal opens an opportunity
to have a certain movement, a certain situation, important for many
millions of Mexicans. It is a priority. It is a valuable proposal,
and by all means, it will have to do with the improvement of the
situation of these migrants, but it will have to do, as well, with a
strengthening of our respective economies -- that on the one hand.
On the other, the topic that we have been dealing with is the
initiative of North America, by means of which both governments want to
work with very specific objectives, so as to create a greater economic
growth, increase productivity and competitiveness within the region
through the reduction of costs, and facilitating trade flows, promoting
development of common markets in different specific sectors. And it
has as an objective, to establish a security regional framework
protecting Mexico, the United States, and Canada from terrorism.
Several tables, working tables analyze the normalization of
different standards within the market in automobiles, food, agriculture
products, construction materials and consumption goods. Likewise,
there's a table that has to do with trade and services. Another one is
working on energy; another one in scientific and technological
cooperation; another one regional cooperation on trade and investment.
Consequently, it is a great effort so as to achieve the objectives that
I just mentioned.
President Bush, once again, thank you for visiting us. Thank you
for being here. This summit, this meeting will allow us to be near the
different Presidents, the different leaders of Latin America, the
Caribbean area, Central America, and by all means, North America. And
it will be for the good of this continent in the future. Thank you.
PRESIDENT BUSH: Thank you, Mr. President. Laura and I are --
really appreciate your hospitality. We want to thank you and Martha
for being our friends. I remember well our visit to your ranch. And
to this end, we would like to extend an invitation to both you and the
First Lady of Mexico to visit our ranch on March the 5th and 6th. I
hope you can find -- I hope it's a convenient date for you on your
calendar because we'd love to -- we'd love to have you there.
The bonds of friendship and shared values between our two nations
are strong. We have worked together to overcome many mutual
challenges, and that work is yielding results. Today Mexico is
America's second largest trading partner, and we are Mexico's largest.
Every day thousands of Americans and Mexicans cross the border in both
directions for reason of commerce and tourism. And many Americans
settle -- many Mexicans settle in America, bringing with them optimism
and a strong desire to succeed. They come to fulfill their dreams, and
in the process they enrich our nation.
Last week, I proposed a new temporary worker program that will help
further the cause of safe, legal and orderly migration. This temporary
worker program will match willing foreign workers with willing American
employers when no Americans can be found to fill the jobs. Under this
program, undocumented workers currently in the United States will be
able to come out of the shadows and establish legal identities. All
participants in the program will be issued a temporary worker card that
will allow them to travel back and forth between their home and the
United States without fear of being denied reentry into our country.
This plan is not amnesty, placing undocumented workers on the
automatic path of citizenship. I oppose amnesty because it encourages
the violation of our laws and perpetuates illegal immigration. My
proposal expects that most temporary workers will eventually return
permanently to their home countries when the period of work that I will
be negotiating with the Congress has expired. And I think it's
important to give financial incentives to those workers in order for
them to make the decision to return home permanently.
I'll work with President Fox and other leaders on a plan to give
temporary workers credit in their home countries' retirement systems
for the time they work in the United States. I support making it
easier for temporary workers to contribute a portion of their earnings
to tax-preferred savings accounts, money they can collect as they
return to their native countries.
Under this program the United States will benefit from the honest
labor of foreign workers. Our neighbors will benefit as productive
citizens return home with money to invest and to spend in their own
nation's economy. This program will be more humane, humane to workers,
and will live up to the highest ideals of our nations.
While my nation benefits from the dreams that newcomers bring to
America, I believe that people should be better able to achieve their
dreams at their own home. The best way in the long-term to reduce the
pressures that create illegal immigration is to expand economic
opportunity in countries at both ends of an immigrant's journey. This
is why President Fox and I are committed to free and fair trade. We've
seen it lift both our nations and our economies. Since 1994, trade
between our two countries has grown from $100 billion to $232 billion.
We will continue to work together, and with Canada, to enhance North
American prosperity and security.
We're also working to reduce the cost of sending money home to
families and local communities. These remittances exceed $10 billion
per year. But the cost of such transfers reduces the amount of money
that hardworking people can return to their families. Our two
countries have made it a priority to keep hard-earned money in the
hands of those who need it most.
In recent years, our efforts under our U.S.-Mexico Partnership for
Prosperity Initiative have reduced the cost of remittances by almost 60
percent.
Two years ago, in this city, world leaders agreed on a vision to
expand opportunity and spread prosperity throughout the hemisphere.
With this year's Special Summit, we continue to put that vision into
action. Through the Inter-American Development Bank, we are expanding
access to credit for small business entrepreneurs, the key engines of
growth and job creation for any nation's economy. We're helping
nations improve their legal systems to protect property rights so that
owners can use their property as collateral to finance the purchase of
a home or to start a business. We're investing in the health and
education of our peoples, and we're intensifying our common fight
against corruption.
President Fox and I will also continue our efforts to support
democracy in the region. We will work with the Organization of
American States to ensure the integrity of the presidential recall and
referendum process underway in Venezuela. And as part of our effort to
protect the institutions of democracy in Bolivia, we will co-chair the
initial meeting of the Bolivia Support Group, in Washington this coming
Friday.
Our bilateral relationship is strong; this summit's agenda is
full. The United States will continue to work with our friends in the
neighborhood in a spirit of common purpose and mutual respect.
Thank you Mr. President.
Q Question for both of you. President Fox, once more on
migrating matters, what else did the Mexican government propose? What
else can we expect for the Mexican workers? Can we expect the same
treatment of the Canadian ones without any approaches? What are the
purposes in reference to migrants? Does this have election purposes?
And will the United States avoid violating the human rights in our
airports? that is the question -- and the question is addressed for
both Presidents.
PRESIDENT FOX: First of all, I would like to say, what else can we
wish? What we want is the plan presented by President Bush. We hope
that the plan has a happy ending to the political process that should
be followed within the United States so that it can be approved in the
Congress of the United States.
I would say that this is what we want. The plan, as it was
mentioned before, is a very important step forward for many Mexican
workers in the United States. Those that have the direct benefit of
this will recognize and acknowledge this proposal that has a great
importance for them. Not only -- not only because they can see that
their labor rights and their human rights are completely respected
there, but there is a human face on this proposal, a human face that
has to do with the families of these workers.
Consequently, for us it is a plan that meets the demands and its
measures. And our will should be to support the plan to be achieved
and go on.
In reference to safety matters on the airports and the flights,
that is a sovereign decision in Mexico to implement these safety and
security programs within the airports and within the Mexican airlines.
So we are not violating any human right of any sort of citizen. What
we're doing is paying special attention so as to avoid terrorist acts,
violent acts within the Mexican territory or within the Mexican
airlines.
And in this same approach, we mention that there's no direct
intervention of -- no official personnel, policemen, agents -- direct
intervention, direct participation in operations that have to do with
the assurance of this task within the Mexican airports or within the
Mexican airlines. What we do have is a participation and an exchange
with the personnel, the liaison personnel -- personnel for security.
We exchange information so as to do our work much better.
We reject any other sort of information, different information that
has been brought about. That in this activities, well, we can state
that only Mexican personnel participates -- agents of the airlines, or
agents of security here in Mexico. Thus, there is no intervention in
the direct operation of any other official agent from abroad. It is
the liaison officers that link offices.
We exchange information the way we agreed upon with President Bush
since the beginning of our conversations in Rancho San Cristobal. And
we have a mutual trust -- that's the way we started -- so that the
security and safety institutions would trust each other. They could
have an exchange of information and they could be very, very efficient
in their work. Never, never before had we reached efficiency level
fighting organized crime, guaranteeing the security and safety of the
different passengers, stopping, let's say, loads of drug, drug
trafficking the way we have been achieving this in the last few years,
based upon mutual trust and based on this coordinated work between the
two parts.
PRESIDENT BUSH: Mr. President, I appreciate your wonderful
cooperation that we've achieved between our two countries. You've just
articulated that level of cooperation in a way that I don't think I
ever could. So that's my answer to the second question you asked.
My answer to the first question you asked is that I proposed this
change in immigration law because I think it is the right thing to do.
It recognizes the reality of our country. The President and I talked
about whether or not -- the ramifications of this initiative to
Mexico. But the migration policy applies to all foreign workers. But
the truth is, the vast majority of foreign workers in America are from
Mexico. We know that in Texas very well. And I repeat to you that
this is -- these workers are a benefit to my country. These are
hardworking, decent, honorable people that are in our country because
-- to fill jobs that others won't take, on the one hand, and also to
make a living, to put money -- to get money and to send money back to
their families.
There is a deep human desire for a mother or a father to provide
for his or her family. And that's how I view the motivations of good,
decent Mexican citizens working in our country. And it seems like to
me it makes sense to have laws that treat people with respect. We are
a country of law. Rule of law is important in America. And,
therefore, we ought to not have a system that is based upon an
undocumented under-class, but a system that is based upon law.
And so I -- you said something about politics -- yes, there's
politics involved. But the reason I made -- and there will be politics
probably involved in whether or not it passes Congress. But the reason
I proposed the initiative is because it is the right thing for America
to do.
Q Thank you, Mr. President, President Fox. My question is
about Iraq. The death toll in Iraq, the American death toll is
approaching 500. I wonder whether you have any reservations now about
whether that toll is worth it to achieve your objective in Iraq and the
Middle East.
President Fox, you had a disagreement with the President going into
the war. I wonder whether you aired that out during your meeting just
now, whether you now see eye-to-eye on postwar Iraq. Thank you.
PRESIDENT BUSH: A democratic, free Iraq is in the national
interests of our country. A free country in the midst of the Middle
East will make America more secure, and matter of fact, make any
country more secure. And the decision I made was a tough decision.
We've had discussions prior to the decision and after the
decision. Vicente Fox is a good enough friend for him to be able to
express his opinion to me without the loss of friendship. And he
didn't agree with the decision I made. But the decision I made was the
right one for America. And history will prove it's the right one for
the world. And we will stay the course until the job is done.
And the job is getting done. Iraq is more free every day. The
citizens are beginning -- the lives of the citizens are improving every
day. And one thing is for certain; there won't be any more mass graves
and torture rooms and rape rooms. The tyrant will no longer come back
to threaten the Iraqi people. These people will be able to live in --
these Iraqi citizens will not only be able to live in a free society,
they'll be able to live in a society that is free from one of the most
brutal dictators in the world's history.
PRESIDENT FOX: As a democratic nation, to meet the challenge of
terrorism, to make sure that terrorism is eradicated from the face of
this world -- that's our challenge today, and that's what we work on.
It is why we congratulate the U.S. government that they withheld Saddam
Hussein and he will be taken to trial, to judgment. We fully support
that and we congratulate President Bush and the United States for that
very important accomplishment, which is for the better of all nations,
all families, all people in the world that we want to live in peace
without terrorism.
Q Good afternoon. My question is addressed for both
Presidents, if you can really talk about a free trade agreement --
North America, between Mexico, United States and Canada, in the midst
of all the problems of commercial exchange such as transportation,
food, agricultural sector. Second question: Can you achieve a free
trade agreement of the Americas with the opposition of many countries
such as Brazil and Venezuela?
PRESIDENT FOX: Well, in the case of a Free Trade Agreement of
North America we have clearly pointed out many a time that it has been
successful for Mexico. We are very much satisfied with what has been
achieved in the last 10 years. Mexico is the ninth economy in the
world. It has enabled Mexico to have the size of the seventh power for
exports in the world, and a per-capita income going beyond, let's say,
$6,000, the highest in Latin America. These are things that have been
brought about because of this relation that has been established. And
we have worked upon that for 10 years.
I read a report of the ILO about Latin America and unemployment and
wages and salaries of the different workers. And Mexico has the best,
let's say, rate on unemployment in Latin America, improving the
situation, improving the actual wages of the workers in Latin America
-- the only one in Latin America. And by all means, this is coming
from the free trade agreements. Consequently, we are satisfied with
our free trade agreement. And it should continue operating and working
with success.
On a parallel basis, we have thought about the initiative of North
America to thrust and develop our economies much more, achieving
competitiveness and productivity, generating jobs and quality of life
in our respective countries. It is a parallel, an additional pathway.
And as President Bush already mentioned in reference to the
Association for Prosperity -- the document known as Partnership For
Prosperity, that's the name of the document -- it has many --we work
day by day so as to thrust and improve the document. So we're giving
steps forward in this direction.
That on the one hand. On the other, as a consequence of this,
Mexico is a passionate promoter of the free trade agreements in the
Americas. We are totally in favor of the free trade agreement for the
American continent. By all means. And we're working in favor and
working actively so that it will be achieved as soon as possible.
We received with great satisfaction the results of the last meeting
in Miami, Florida, where the agreement is to continue building this
free trade agreement so as to have it ready on the foreseen dates that
we thought about. So we are working enthusiastically in this field.
By all means, we do not only want a free trade agreement, but we
want a very good free trade agreement, an agreement with quality and
that has to do with trade that would take development to the less
developed countries, the poorest countries in our continent; that could
take development to the different regions where there's greater poverty
on our continent. And that is the fundamental purpose of this
agreement.
Trade promotes development, undoubtedly. Trade undoubtedly
promotes a reduction of poverty. And trade and relations amongst
countries promote human capital. So we are absolutely in favor of
trusting and supporting this agreement.
PRESIDENT BUSH: It's helped America; it's helped Mexico; it's
helped Canada. I think we need to move the process forward -- the
President and I discussed that earlier today -- with the North American
Initiative.
The President is absolutely right; the best way to eradicate
poverty is to encourage trade between nations. Trade gives people hope
and provides opportunity. Obviously, that must be coupled with
anti-corruption measures, like the President has done here in Mexico.
It must be coupled with good education measures. At this meeting we're
going to talk about ways to get capital into the hands of the
entrepreneurial classes of respective countries. But without trade,
there's going to be -- it's going to be hard for some people to find
opportunity.
And so I hope those who have expressed some opposition about the
free trade agreement of the Americas, look at the facts. And the fact
is that NAFTA has lifted lives and ended poverty in some parts of our
-- in our neighborhood. And to this end, the United States will not
only push for the free trade agreement of the Americas, we will
continue free trade agreements with countries like Chile -- we just
concluded one with Chile -- but with the Central American countries,
Andean countries. We believe in trade. We believe it's in the
interest of the neighborhood that we trade freely.
Q Thank you, President Fox. President Bush, is it true, as
your former Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill says, that you started
planning for the invasion of Iraq within days of your inauguration? Do
you feel betrayed? And should he have released those documents?
PRESIDENT BUSH: First, let me say, I appreciate former Secretary
O'Neill's service to our country. We worked together during some
difficult times. We worked together when the country was in recession,
and now we're coming out of recession, which is positive news. We
worked together when America was attacked on September the 11th, which
changed how I viewed the world. September the 11th made me realize
that America was no longer protected by oceans, and we had to take
threats very seriously no matter where they may be materializing.
And, no, the stated policy of my administration towards Saddam
Hussein was very clear. Like the previous administration, we were for
regime change. And in the initial stages of the administration, as you
might remember, we were dealing with Desert Badger, or fly-overs and
fly-betweens and looks, and so we were fashioning policy along those
lines. And then, all of a sudden, September the 11th hit. And as the
President of the United States, my most solemn obligation is to protect
the security of the American people. That's my -- to me that's the
most solemn thing an American President -- or any president -- must
do. And I took that duty very seriously.
And as you know, not only did we deal with the Taliban, we gave --
working through the United Nations and working through international
community, we made it clear that Saddam Hussein should disarm. And
like he had done with a lot of previous resolutions, he ignored the
world's demands. And now he's no longer in power, and the world is
better for it. The Iraqi people are better for it; America is better
for it; Mexico is better for it. The world is more peaceful as a
result of Saddam Hussein not being in power.
And the task at hand, Mr. President -- and he and I -- he knows
this fully well -- is to make sure that the aspirations of the Iraqi
people are allowed to flourish. And we'll get there. It's a tough
task right now. It's hard work, but we've done hard work in the past.
And a free Iraq is going to be in the world's interest.
Thank you very much.
PRESIDENT FOX: Thank you, Mr. President. Good afternoon.