September 6, 2006

Dear Friends and Colleagues:

Yesterday, the Electoral Tribunal of Mexico announced that Felipe Calderón will be the next President of Mexico. In so doing, the Tribunal reaffirmed the credibility of Mexico’s electoral institutions by reviewing the July 2 Presidential Election and determining that the people had spoken in a free and fair way. I congratulate President-elect Calderón and look forward to working with his administration in the years to come.

I also extend my congratulations to the seven members of the Tribunal who applied reason and impartiality to resolve a difficult challenge for Mexico’s democracy.

In the past two months, Mexico’s political institutions have been tested— but it is clear that democracy has emerged triumphant. In any election, there must be a winner and a loser, and one key to a strong democracy is having candidates who can both win and lose with grace and dignity. The people of Mexico deserve our admiration and respect for using the legal system to consider questions about the July 2 election— this manner of dispute resolution is another hallmark of a vibrant democracy.

We hope that the Mexican people can now focus on building consensus and looking towards the future. By working together, all of Mexico’s leaders can successfully fulfill the expectations of its people and give them the opportunity and security that they want and deserve.

Of course, until President-elect Calderón is sworn in on December 1, 2006, we will continue to work closely with the government of President Vicente Fox on the pressing issues that face both our nations.

In addition to awaiting the decision of the Electoral Tribunal, we were very busy at the U.S. Mission in the month of August.

On Thursday, August 24, 2006, I hosted a reception at the Residence for a distinguished group of 62 Fulbright scholars, students, and business interns who have come to Mexico from 25 states in the United States and will work in 21 different states of Mexico. The reception also was attended by former Fulbright scholars, representatives of the academic, business, government and private institutions hosting the U.S. Fulbrighters, and staff members from the Comexus Foundation (the organization that oversees Fulbright scholarships between our two countries) and our U.S. Mission.

Click here to read more about this event

On August 23, 2006, I had the pleasure of announcing the return to Mexico of an important piece of stolen cultural patrimony. A joint effort involving officials from the San Diego Museum of Art, and Mexican and U.S. law enforcement authorities, resulted in the recovery of “Adam and Eve cast out of Paradise,” a priceless work of art that had been ripped off the wall of a church in San Juan Tepemazalco in Zempoala, Hidalgo. San Diego Museum of Art officials restored the painting, and it is now in the hands of Mexican authorities, who are committed to making this important work available for all to see.

Click here to read more about the return of this stolen art

Few destinations are more enjoyable than a city that combines its rich cultural tradition with the best our modern world has to offer, and this is why everyone who visits Guadalajara vows to return. I went there on August 18 and 19, to see the University of Guadalajara and its new Center for North American studies, the Hospital Civil, and the Instituto Cultural de Jalisco. I also met with members of the American Chamber of Commerce and talked with Mexican and U.S. law enforcement officials about the growing and dangerous trade in methamphetamines.

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

We made great progress this month on two very important criminal cases. On August 14, U.S. authorities captured Javier Francisco Arellano Felix in international waters off the coast of Baja California. Arellano Felix is accused of leading the Tijuana-based drug trafficking gang that bears his name and of involvement in many horrific criminal acts. His arrest is easily one of the 10 most significant arrests of the past decade in the United States’ battle against illegal drugs.

On August 15, we arrested Edgar Alvarez Cruz for violating U.S. immigration law. This accused felon is being sought for his alleged involvement in a gang that murdered no less than 10 women in and around Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, between 1993 and 2003.

Click on the following to read more about these two important arrests: Arellano Felix | Alvarez Cruz

On August 14, I attended the third annual Border Security Conference at the University of Texas in El Paso, where I participated in a panel discussion on border security involving experts from government and the private sector.

While in neighboring Ciudad Juarez, I accompanied Mayor Hector Murguia Lardizabal of Ciudad Juarez and Mayor John Cook of El Paso to survey the area surrounding the Montada Dam. When this 30-year old earthen dam overfilled as a result of unprecedented rainfall in July, experts predicted that a wall of water could also flood El Paso and then deluge Ciudad Juarez neighborhoods. In an extraordinary demonstration of international cooperation, El Paso and Ciudad Juarez cooperated, with El Paso providing emergency pumps and technical assistance, to lower the dam’s dangerously high level.

Also while in Ciudad Juarez, I talked with relatives of several of the female victims who have been murdered in the area and discussed how we are working with Mexican authorities to bring their killers to justice.

Click here to read about the Ambassador’s travel to Ciudad Juarez/El Paso

The Mexican-American Cultural Institute in Michoacan celebrated its 50th Anniversary on August 10, and I had the pleasure of visiting Morelia and taking part in the celebration. I also attended the first anniversary of the “Public Finance Speakers Series” in that city, where I shared the speakers podium with Governor Lazaro Cardenas and with treasurers from the U.S. states of New Hampshire, Georgia, Mississippi and the Mexican states of Sinaloa and Michoacan.

Click here to read more about the Ambassador’s trip to Morelia

Finally, on August 1, I spoke at the inauguration of the Hidalgo Financial Institute in Pachuca, Hidalgo. Created with U.S. and Mexican government funds and expertise, the Institute will ensure that the state of Hidalgo and its cities and towns will have more access to the funds they need to improve their infrastructure.

Click here to read more about the Hidalgo Financial Institute

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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