March 15, 2007

Dear Friends and Colleagues:

Yesterday, President George Bush concluded his five-country tour of Latin America in Mexico—the country with which the United States shares its most comprehensive and integrated bilateral agenda.

In Merida this week, the meetings held between Presidents Bush and Calderon were extremely positive, constructive and focused. As President Calderon said after the visit, “I’m convinced that after this meeting we can begin a new stage in the relations between Mexico and the United States.”

On Tuesday, March 13th, Presidents Bush and Calderon discussed a wide range of issues, including security in the hemisphere, free trade, and immigration reform in the United States. President Bush noted that “our meetings . . . reaffirmed the values of democracy and transparency and rule of law that guide both our countries. We discussed ways to make . . . both nations safer and both nations prosperous.” President Bush also expressed to President Calderon his personal commitment to press our Congress to pass urgently-needed comprehensive immigration reform in the United States this year.

The purpose of President Bush’s visit to Latin America was to highlight the commitment of the United States to advancing freedom, democracy and prosperity throughout the region. Since taking office, President Bush has nearly doubled aid to Latin America and his administration has promoted expanded trade and aid for social justice programs to assist the people of the Western Hemisphere who live in poverty.

In Mexico alone in the past several years, the United States has invested millions of dollars in aid for educational programs such as the TIES university partnerships and the flagship Fulbright-Garcia Robles scholarship program in Mexico which awarded more than 300 scholarships to Mexicans last year. Also in 2006, the United States invested more than $7.5 million in projects aimed at strengthening Mexico’s capacity for diagnosis, control and prevention of life-threatening diseases such as tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS. And, our USAID office has been instrumental in supporting both micro-finance programs that provide loans to small, emerging businesses in Mexico and in providing aid for transparency and good government programs.

Yesterday, President Bush also noted that free trade is the best avenue to common prosperity and job creation. In fact, in 2006, U.S. exports to Mexico were $134.2 billion, and U.S. imports from Mexico were $198.3 billion (drastic increases in trade from only a decade before). In 2007, two-way U.S.-Mexico trade in goods and services will exceed $1 billion per day. Over 18,000 Mexican companies currently benefit from U.S. direct investment, and 60.8% of all foreign direct investment (representing $88.6 billion dollars) in Mexico between the years of 1999 and 2006 was from U.S. sources. Not only do Americans invest in Mexican companies, we also invest in the Mexican economy through tourism to the countless beautiful tourist destinations in this country. In the past ten years, approximately 90% of all tourists to Mexico were U.S. citizens.

The United States is deeply committed to a continued partnership with the government of Mexico to promote prosperity and security throughout the Western Hemisphere. By focusing our efforts on improving education, advancing economic development, and aiding our region’s most disadvantaged citizens, we bring opportunity to both sides of our border and take great strides towards moving people in both our nations from poverty to hope.

For the transcript of the press conference held by Presidents Bush and Calderon at the conclusion of their visit in Merida yesterday, click here:

For a transcript of the Presidents’ opening remarks before the bilateral meetings at the Hacienda Temozon and the toast at the dinner at Hacienda Xcanatun please visit:

For more information on the President’s trip to Brazil, Uruguay, Colombia, Guatemala and Mexico, please visit the White House web site at: http://www.whitehouse.gov/infocus/latinamerica/

Thank you for this opportunity to share more about the important bilateral meeting between Presidents Bush and Calderon. As always, may God bless Mexico and the United States.

With best wishes, I am,

Sincerely,

Antonio O. Garza, Jr.

Please email us at EmbajadorGarza@state.gov if you would like for your friends or colleagues to be added to our list of recipients. Also please feel free to forward this message to others. If you are not interested in receiving future updates, of course, please let us know.