August 9, 2006

Dear Friends:

I know that you all have been following the turmoil in the Middle East with great interest and concern. Our Secretary of State, Condelezza Rice, traveled to the region last week, and helped broker U.N. Resolutions, announced this weekend, for a cease-fire between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon. Although it is uncertain at the moment that Hezbollah and Israel will agree with all aspects of the cease-fire resolutions, President Bush said on Monday, "we all recognize that the violence must stop.”

In our own region, we have followed closely the developments in Cuba after reports that Fidel Castro is ill and has ceded control of the island to his brother Raul Castro. On Sunday, Secretary of State Rice rejected any notion that the United States would take advantage of Castro’s illness or invade Cuba as clearly “far-fetched.” She stated that, “The United States wants to be a partner and a friend to the Cuban people as they move through this period of difficulty... But what Cuba should not have is the replacement of one dictator by another.” The United States hopes that the Cuban people, with the support of all democratic nations, can work to restore their fundamental rights and a multi-party democracy on the island.

In the face of these pressing world events, President Bush again demonstrated his commitment to immigration reform in the United States by focusing on the issue in his weekly radio address on Saturday. The President reiterated that “[r]ational and comprehensive immigration reform must begin with border security, [and so] I've asked Congress to fund dramatic increases in manpower and technology for the Border Patrol.... Yet to be successful, comprehensive immigration reform must also accomplish... other critical goals. We need a temporary worker program that will create a legal and orderly path for foreign workers to enter our country to work on a temporary basis.”

Click here to read the full text of the President’s Radio Address

We too, at the U.S. Mission in Mexico, have had an eventful few weeks. I would like to take this opportunity to update you on developments and news at our Mission.

This week, I will be traveling to Morelia, Michoacán to celebrate the first anniversary of the monthly public finance speakers series launched here in Mexico with U.S. Government assistance to bring together state and provincial finance officials from the U.S., Mexico, and Canada. Michoacán was the first pilot state in our capital markets strengthening project. While in Michoacán, I will also meet with Governor Lázaro Cárdenas and visit the Binational Center in Morelia which is celebrating its 50th anniversary as an English language teaching institution.

Just last week, I traveled to Pachuca, Hidalgo to celebrate the launch of the Hidalgo Financial Institute with Hidalgo Governor Miguel Angel Osorio Chong. The institute, a new revolving fund in Hidalgo, is the result of cooperative efforts and sharing of information between the U.S. Embassy in Mexico City, through its U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), Evensen Dodge International, and the Government of Hidalgo. The main objective of the Institute is to help the state government identify opportunities to introduce new financial practices to facilitate access to the capital market, in order to improve its debt planning and borrowing needs.

Click here to read more about the Ambassador’s visit to Hidalgo

On July 6, 2006, I announced the award of 53 scholarships for indigenous teachers and students to study in the United States. In a ceremony at the Escuela Bancaria Comercial, I presented the scholarship awards to teachers and students from Oaxaca, Chiapas, Nayarit, Guerrero, Jalisco, Guanajuato, and Queretaro. The scholarships, funded by the United States government, will allow the students to study technical programs for two years and the teachers to study means of strengthening primary education for indigenous children for one year in institutions of higher learning in the United States.

Click here to read more about these scholarship awards

Later, on July 18, 2006, I announced ten new university partnerships between institutions of higher learning in the United States and Mexico. The new partnerships are a key component of the TIES (Training, Internships, Exchanges, and Scholarships) initiative, which was a central element of the U.S.–Mexico Partnership for Prosperity launched in 2001 by Presidents Bush and Fox. The programs will help strengthen trade and sustainable economic development in Mexico, improve the quality of life in indigenous communities here, create new trained professionals, and enhance cross-border relationships.

Click here to read more about the new TIES partnerships

In other news, on July 7, 2006, Mexican authorities extradited five criminals to the United States to face charges there. Four of the fugitives were charged with murder, including one on the FBI’s 10 Most Wanted List who was charged with the torture and murder of a four-year old child. The unprecedented simultaneous extradition of five violent criminals was a landmark in cooperation between U.S. and Mexican law enforcement agencies.

Click here to read more about these extraditions

And on July 4th, we celebrated the 230th anniversary of the United States. Over 1,000 of our friends and colleagues from around Mexico and the world—the largest number of guests in recent history to attend a 4th of July event at the Official Residence in Mexico —came to both celebrate the strength of democracy around the world and remember those who do not benefit from the freedoms we exercise everyday in the United States and Mexico.

Click here to read the complete text of the Ambassador’s remarks

Finally, on August 4, I had the pleasure of meeting Mexican Customs Officer Alfonso Bueyes and his canine partner Rafael. Officer Bueyes is one of three Mexican graduates of the Explosives and Accelerant Detection Canine Program of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). He and Rafael graduated from the six-week course on July 14, 2006. Being quite a fan of “man’s best friend,” I was thrilled to be paid a visit by such an educated and helpful canine.

Click here to read more about the Ambassador’s canine visit

As always, I thank you for your interest in the activities of our U.S. Mission to Mexico. May God bless Mexico and the United States.

With best wishes, I am,

Sincerely,

Antonio O. Garza, Jr.

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