President George W. Bush. Merida, Mexico.
March 14, 2007.
... "NAFTA has worked. And there is a mechanism in place that the President just described about how to resolve sensitive issues. There will be sensitive issues on a frequent basis when it comes to trade. And the best way to resolve those is through negotiations and discussions, recognizing the sensitivities on both sides of the border, but trying to renegotiate a treaty that has been incredibly important for both sides of the border, in my judgment, would be a mistake. You don't want to weaken NAFTA; you want to make sure it stays strong in order that prosperity continues to expand and people benefit on both sides of the border." Text

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. Press Conference. Ottawa, Ontario Canada.
February 23, 2007
"I think that if you look at everything from NAFTA on, including our extensive trade relationships, our extensive economic relationships, you can see that the United States and Mexico have been deeply concerned about one another's prosperity. We have an extraordinary trading relationship. Mexico is one of our most important trading partners, and indeed we understand that when one talks about security on the border, that is, of course, extremely important." "But as the President has said, ultimately when one talks, for instance, about the issues of immigration, we want very much to see a Mexico in which Mexicans can find work and can take care of their families in Mexico. And so prosperity in Mexico is also something of great interest to the United States, and I think you would see that the relationship is based principally on trying to make people on both sides of the border more prosperous." Text

Secretary of Commerce Carlos M. Gutierrez. American Chamber of Commerce of Mexico. Mexico City, Mexico.
February 1, 2007
"Beyond NAFTA, the vision of creating a hemisphere of free enterprise, lowered trade barriers and greater prosperity is coming together country by country." "Mexico led the way for Latin America by joining NAFTA. Others like Chile and Central America are emulating Mexico’s success. And we have agreements with Colombia, Peru, and Panama in the pipeline." "Over time, it remains our goal to achieve the vision of a free trade area of the Americas. One way would be this: where agreements have already been reached, stitch them all together." Text

Deputy Secretary of State John D. Negroponte at the Business Council for International Understanding. Department of State. Washington, D.C.
July 19, 2007.
… "we also remain committed to state-of-the-art free trade agreements, a vital strategic component of the United States’ foreign policy of peace and prosperity. Free trade agreements foster deeper, stronger, and more extensive bilateral relations between us and our partners. They promote understanding and goodwill. They underscore common values. They provide opportunities in important new markets for American businesses, farmers, and workers. They remove barriers to United States service providers and manufacturers. They provide a secure, predictable legal framework for United States investors, and they protect intellectual property rights. In addition, internationally-recognized labor principles now will be incorporated into our FTAs, one of the many ways in which FTAs promote important internal reforms in our partner economies." Text