August 23, 2007

Dear Friends and Colleagues:

This week President Bush and President Felipe Calderon of Mexico met with Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper in Montebello, Canada, to participate in the North American Leaders’ Summit. The leaders met to continue discussions about the opportunities and challenges facing North America and to advance the priorities initiated in previous gatherings. I was present at this successful summit and would like to highlight some of the Montebello accomplishments.

Our leaders established five priority areas for the next year: Enhancing the Global Competitiveness of North America, Safe Food and Products, Sustainable Energy and the Environment, Smart and Secure Borders, and Emergency Management and Preparedness.

I am confident that these new initiatives will be realized as our countries have made significant progress in several tasks set forth in the Cancun 2006 Security and Prosperity Partnership of North America (SPP) meeting. In particular we already completed: a North American Plan for Avian and Pandemic Influenza; a Regulatory Cooperation Framework; an Intellectual Property Action Strategy; and a Trilateral Agreement for Cooperation in Energy Science and Technology.

Our leaders are results-oriented and motivated to continue collaborating to advance prosperity, security and stability in our hemisphere and globally. President Bush offered to host the next North American Leaders’ Summit in 2008 and I look forward to sharing more SPP achievements with you in the near future.

In Montebello, President Bush and President Calderon were able to meet bilaterally to focus on U.S.-Mexico issues. The first discussion focused on Hurricane Dean. President Bush reiterated our willingness to offer support to Mexico if needed. Many of you may remember that Mexico dispatched an Army convoy and Navy ship to the Gulf Coast to help provide relief efforts to the U.S. during the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. This was our opportunity to offer a reciprocal neighborly gesture of thanks back to our Mexican friends.

The leaders also spoke about our shared responsibility and strong interest in building a joint strategy to combat the illegal drug trade and associated violence that impacts both of our countries. Lastly, they talked about President Bush’s Executive Order of October 10 to improve border security and immigration within existing law.

Press Gaggle on the Bilateral Meetings by Dan Fisk, Senior Director for Western Hemisphere Affairs, National Security Council.

To date the media has primarily focused on the security and enforcement measures within the President’s announced series of immigration reforms. I would like to draw your attention to four specific initiatives to streamline existing guest-worker programs that have not been underscored.

The Department of Labor (DOL) will reform the H-2A agricultural seasonal worker program and issue revised regulations for the H-2B program for non-agricultural seasonal workers. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) will extend the visa term for professional workers from Mexico and Canada to attract more of these talented professionals to the U.S.

In addition, both DOL and DHS will study and report on potential administrative reforms to visa programs for highly skilled workers. These improvements will help farmers and small business owners that have expressed their concerns about difficulties meeting their temporary worker needs, while also protecting the rights of workers.

Click here to read the Fact sheet-Improving Border Security and Immigration within Existing Law

Recently, the U.S. and Mexico were put on high alert as a result of Hurricane Dean. Thanks to the overwhelming planning and storm- preparedness efforts, there are no reports to date of deaths or serious injuries directly related to the hurricane. Only a minimal number of Americans required assistance, despite the significant damage to property. We applaud the effective coordination between Mexican authorities and our extended Embassy/Consulate community to assist in keeping American citizens out of harm’s way.

To read US Embassy Mexico City’s public announcements during Hurricane Dean click here

On August 10, Maria Antonieta Rodriguez Mata was extradited from Mexico to stand trial in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas on U.S. federal drug-trafficking and money laundering charges. Any police officer, anywhere, who breaks the law and abuses the confidence of the citizens he or she has sworn to protect, must be brought to justice. Rodriguez Mata’s extradition to face criminal charges in Texas is yet another example of successful cooperation between United States and Mexican law enforcement officials to combat drug-trafficking.

Click here to read more about this extradition

The Embassy’s office of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) signed an agreement with the Center for Transfer and Best Practices for E-Government Applications (CETRATEC), the Government of Michoacan and the Institute of the Americas, to support the transfer of new technologies and best practices that improve state competitiveness. The signing took place on August 10 during the State and Municipal Government IT Committee (CIAPEM) regional conference in Morelia, Michoacan. As a member of the Advisory Committee, USAID arranged and sponsored the visit of keynote speakers Anthony Cresswell, Deputy Director of the Center for Technology in Government (CTG) and Harrison Morrison, IT Director, Institute of the Americas.

On August 13, the U.S. and Mexican governments signed a Bilateral Strategic Plan to expand our longstanding relationship and cooperation on customs issues. While facilitating trade and commerce, the strategic framework of this cooperative plan will help to prevent and deter terrorism by aligning our mutual security mechanisms for North America bound shipments and travelers. The customs-trade partnerships and the enhanced border management resulting from this Bilateral Strategic Plan will improve the lives of citizens on both sides of the border.

Click here to read more about the signing of this Bilateral Strategic Plan

The U.S. Postal Service (USPS) and the Servicio Postal Mexicano (SEPOMEX) signed an agreement on August 14th to improve mail services between the United States and Mexico. USPS agreed to assist SEPOMEX in efforts to transform its management structure and processes and re-engineer its operations. SEPOMEX agreed to collaborate with USPS in exploring and developing joint business opportunities and improving cross-border services. SEPOMEX and USPS are looking forward to working together and enhancing postal services across our borders. This agreement is one more great example of our bilateral cooperation to better provide for our citizens.

To read more about this postal service agreement, click here

Earlier this week, Missouri Congressman Roy Blunt, a member of the U.S. House Minority Leadership, met with the Undersecretary for Multilateral Affairs and Human Rights of Mexico Jose Manuel Gómez Robledo and Undersecretary of Finance Alejandro Werner, Mexican Congressional leaders, political analysts and leading cultural organizations to discuss economic development and migration.

Today, DCM Leslie Bassett will host a reception for 77 Mexican Fulbright scholars and participants in our Binational Business Program that will be departing to U.S. universities to study a wide range of fields, ranging from: art, agriculture, anthropology, ecology, public health, politics and the environment. The Fulbright program is a mainstay of America’s collaborative public-diplomacy efforts that has brought some of the world’s finest minds to U.S. campuses and offers program participants insight into U.S. society and values. Hundreds of American academics have also studied in Mexico and other countries through this excellent program.

To find out more about the Fulbright program, click here

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) Director, Dale Hall, and Herb Raffaele, Chief of the International Conservation Division, came to Mexico City this week to participate in a North American Bird Conservation Initiative meeting. Hall, Raffaele and Steve Thompson, Head of the FWS California-Nevada Operations Division, will visit the Chapultepec Zoo to view the California condors that were donated by the FWS and the San Diego Zoo as part of the U.S./Mexico California Condor Recovery Program.

Lastly, in the coming days many U.S. visitors will be coming to Mexico. Texas Governor Rick Perry and Texas Secretary of State Phil Wilson will be visiting to promote U.S.-Mexico trade. The Woodrow Wilson Center is hosting a visit of five members of Congress, from August 26-30, to explore various U.S.-Mexico bilateral issues. I will keep you posted on these visits.

As always, I appreciate the opportunity to share with you information about the important bilateral relationship between Mexico and the United States. May God bless both our great nations.

Sincerely,

Antonio O. Garza, Jr.

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