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Monterrey, Mexico
Good evening. Thank you, Chairman Alemán, for that kind introduction.
I’d like to recognize President Berger of Guatemala and Governor
Gonzalez Parás of Nuevo Leon for being here with us tonight.
Thank you to all of the distinguished guests here tonight
for allowing me to be part of this important dialogue. The
Monterrey Conference every year has distinguished all of the
leaders who come together to look at our long-term relationship
and outlook for the Hemisphere.
I’m glad to be back in Mexico tonight. As many of you know,
I served as U.S. Ambassador to Mexico for four years, from
1989 through 1993. I often think of my years in Mexico as
among the most interesting and fruitful ones in my career.
My family treasures our memories of times spent here and the
many Mexican friends we made; and we have returned frequently
since leaving our official position in Mexico City in September
of 1993.
The United States has a great stake in the success of Mexico.
We share a deep, broad relationship and we understand that
our futures -- our success and competitiveness in this global
era -- are increasingly intertwined. We have unique demographic
links; we know our society is enriched by the talent and productivity
of many of your countrymen who live in the United States.
Today, a million Americans live in Mexico. Ours is a friendship
and a partnership that has grown, in time, based on shared
values and shared interests and extensive people-to-people
relationships.
When I remember my service in Mexico, I think of how far
our relationship has come since 1993. When I became Ambassador,
the popular consensus was that strong bilateral ties were
beyond reach. I remember preparing to assume the Ambassadorship
and reading Alan Riding’s “Distant Neighbors.” The author
referred to Mexico and the U.S. as two border nations “separated
by language, religion, race, philosophy, and history.” He
continued, “Probably no where in the world do two neighbors
understand each other so little.” Riding wrote his book in
1984. It was a pessimistic message.
What a difference two decades can make. Look at the breadth
of our achievement – because it reflects how far we have come.
The number of issues we discuss, the interaction across a
range of bilateral, trilateral and multilateral issues – not
to mention the state and local dynamic – is larger than ever
before. Today our countries are joined – not divided – by
history, culture, business and connections our citizens understood
long before governments caught up.
We are no longer distant neighbors – we are profoundly engaged
with each other. Does that mean we will always agree? Of course
not. But it does mean that, more often than not, our common
values are leading us to cooperate on common challenges. Mexicans
and Americans alike increasingly recognize the corrosive impact
of narcotics trafficking and crime on both sides of the border.
And our common values include a commitment to democracy, rule
of law, and prosperity for all of our citizens.
As Ambassador of the United States to Mexico 14 years ago,
I served during a dynamic time for U.S.-Mexico relations.
I participated in negotiating the North American Free Trade
Agreement. NAFTA transformed relations between the United
States and Mexico and served as a model for economic growth
and development across the world.
At the end of my tenure as ambassador in 1993, the U.S.
and Mexico were on the verge of implementing NAFTA. In that
year, trade between the U.S. and Mexico amounted to $99 billion.
U.S. investment in Mexico stood at $15.4 billion. Neither
of these sums are pocket change, but now, fourteen years later,
they are dwarfed by numbers that reflect the huge strides
we have made in integrating our economies. In 2005, U.S. investment
in Mexico was $71.4 billion -- more than quadruple the 1993
amount. In 2006 we traded more than a billion dollars worth
of goods and services a day, almost quadrupling our bilateral
commerce as well.
In the first 15 years of this historic free trade agreement
we have together greatly advanced the competitiveness of North
America. By opening new markets, NAFTA has led to the creation
of new jobs and increases for standards of living. It will
continue to do so. Yet as we work to realize the promise of
free trade, we are mindful of those on both sides of the border
who do not feel the benefits of such trade and question its
utility. We must continue to invest in education, job training,
and development programs so that every citizen has the skills
to compete in the dynamic 21st century and we make North America
the best place to live and do business in the world.
You and I are both better off as a result of NAFTA. With
continued close North American cooperation, I am confident
our children will reap even greater benefits.
And as I said, NAFTA has been a model for the region as
we negotiate additional free trade agreements in the Hemisphere.
Just this month, Costa Rica voted in favor of the Central
American Free Trade Agreement, known as CAFTA, which will
encourage broad trade through Central America and the Dominican
Republic. And President Bush has asked the U.S. Congress to
vote in favor of three additional free trade agreements –
Colombia, Panama, and Peru. These agreements make our economies
stronger, generate employment, and promote competitiveness
we all need in this vast new global economy. It is vital that
these accords be approved by our Congress as soon as possible.
Fourteen years ago our leaders had a vision of a dynamic
region prospering economically and politically. Today our
leaders recognize the need to protect our prosperity and well-being
by combating transnational threats. We are united in our goal
of a prosperous and secure region, free from exploitation
by organized criminals, and safe from the risk of terrorism.
Our economies prosper best if investors feel secure, consumers
can make decisions without intimidation, and business can
be confident in the rule of law. Criminal organizations and
terrorists not only destroy lives and possessions -- they
destroy confidence and hope.
This groundwork for increased cooperation was laid during
the Fox Administration, when we began to improve information
sharing across borders to better attack transnational criminal
organizations. The more we communicated and cooperated however,
the more we realized the enormity of the challenge.
Today, it is my privilege to again play a role in strengthening
U.S.-Mexico ties as we join together as partners confronting
our mutual threats. We assume our mutual obligations to protect
ourselves against criminal organizations operating not just
along our border, but deep within our two nations with a high
level of violence and callous disregard for human life that
our citizens reject.
When President Calderon came into office, he made clear
that the fight against organized crime was a priority. To
date his actions have spoken even more loudly and underscore
his determination and dedication to success in this fight.
Since January, the Government of Mexico has extradited more
than 70 criminals, including major figures from each of the
key cartels operating in Mexico. It has launched a series
of surges in key states to disrupt criminal operations and
networks. Not only are federal law enforcement entities making
anti-corruption efforts a priority, but the central government
has reached out to state and local entities to do the same.
And we have seen record seizures of precursor chemicals; cocaine,
with 10 tons seized just weeks ago; and cash, with $207 million
recently seized from in a house in Mexico City.
President Calderon is relentless in the fight. He has proposed
bold security and judicial reforms pending before the Mexican
congress now. These reforms may soon be added to the list
of reforms successfully passed by a newly invigorated congressional
leadership. I want to acknowledge the sacrifice of his leadership.
As cartels lash back against the government, more soldiers,
police, and public servants have been killed this year than
ever before.
President Calderon and his team recognize that this is a
shared challenge. And the United States has also been active
in these same efforts. We have established a National Southwest
Border Counter narcotics Strategy to implement objectives
in intelligence collection, interdiction, surveillance and
prosecution to stop criminal activities. And in 2005 the Bureau
of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives launched its
own Southwest Border Initiative to share trace information
with Mexico, close off weapons trafficking corridors, and
expand intelligence cooperation.
Successful initiatives on both sides of the border have
led both our nations to a similar point: we are stronger working
together. Organized crime does not respect borders, and we
should not let borders be barriers to our separate law enforcement
efforts. Cooperation across the border will strengthen our
individual efforts as well, further undercutting the drug-traffickers
and gangs.
During his meeting last March with President Bush, President
Calderon proposed our two countries intensify our efforts
bilaterally. He urged the United States to expand its efforts
to reduce drug demand, stem the flow of arms across the border,
and attack money-laundering more aggressively. President Calderon
also offered to expand bilateral cooperation so that we could
both be more effective, on our respective sides of the border,
to stop organized crime and drug trafficking, and ensure that
terrorist organizations cannot ever exploit either nation.
Since that time we have been in extensive consultations
to define the scope of our new partnership. We have heard
the words of encouragement from our respective legislatures
and look forward to engaging with them, recognizing the critical
roles they have in this process. Both presidents have been
closely engaged at key moments, discussing the development
of the partnership by phone and of course at the recent North
American Leaders Summit in Montebello, Canada last August.
The result is the Merida Initiative, a new partnership announced
by President Bush and President Calderon last week to confront
organized crime and drug trafficking organizations operating
in the region. NAFTA transformed our trade and helped our
people prosper. This new initiative will build on the success
of NAFTA and define our shared responsibility to confront
criminal organizations. We commit to the strategic and tactical
cooperation necessary to combat criminal activity and separate
initiatives to strengthen our respective, complementary, efforts
against specific challenges.
Let me start by telling you what this partnership is not.
It is not a plan that involves increases in U.S. government
presence in Mexico with law enforcement or military. It is
not a strategy that in any way infringes on Mexico's sovereign
rights --- or on those of the United States. It is a strategy
to succeed -- to succeed against organized criminals and drug
traffickers, to succeed in protecting the victims they traffic
and exploit, to succeed in reinforcing our mutual efforts
against possible terrorist threats, and to succeed in breaking
smuggling networks of every possible kind.
Our two countries will share information and databases to
make sure we know as much as possible about the criminals
and their networks. The United States will support Mexico's
ongoing initiatives with equipment so that our respective
law enforcement teams can work more effectively together.
We will share leads, develop parallel investigations, and
pursue respective prosecutions to take criminals off the streets
of Mexico and the United States. We will offer to expand existing
training programs so that Mexico's law enforcement officials
have the resources and capabilities they need to enforce their
law.
We will work on our own challenges as well. For the United
States, demand reduction, bulk currency and illegal arms flows
are a priority, in addition to our current efforts. For Mexico,
directly attacking organized crime while reforming its police
and judicial systems are formidable tasks.
Additionally, we will look south together, and expand our
strategy and assistance to our willing partners in Central
America who share both the same challenges and the same commitment
to confront them. Working with the leaders of Mexico and these
nations, we will align our training, offer equipment and information
so that the long trail of illicit activity that traverses
Central America towards the United States can be broken.
As we succeed -- as criminal organizations disband, as gangs
lose their sway in Central America, as the U.S. reduces drug
demand -- we will prosper. When criminals stop corrupting,
intimidating, and undermining our societies, business can
flourish, employment can multiply, and opportunity can take
root.
I was privileged to be present at the creation of NAFTA,
and to now see the good it has wrought for all three partners.
I feel privileged to be present as the United States and Mexico
launch a new era of cooperation against crime in all its forms,
an era that will free us of the suffering organized crime
now causes, and secure us from the always present threat of
terrorism. Two decades ago we might have been merely neighbors
with a common border -- today we are partners on many of the
issues of mutual import to both our nations. From the great
strengths of both our nations, and from the respect and trust
we bring each other, this partnership will truly succeed.
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