April 23, 2008

Dear Friends and Colleagues:

On Monday and Tuesday of this week, the North American Leaders’ Summit was held in News Orleans. This was the fourth trilateral meeting between the Presidents of the United States and Mexico, and the Prime Minister of Canada since the start of the Security and Prosperity Partnership (SPP) in 2005. The Security and Prosperity Partnership recognizes that our three nations have shared interests in keeping North America secure, prosperous, and competitive in today’s global environment. The SPP helps us seek practical solutions to the shared challenges we face in North America, while respecting our individual and sovereign interests. We met in New Orleans to discuss how we might collaborate further to achieve these goals, as well as to discuss hemispheric and global issues of interest to us in North America.

The success of our trilateral partnership can be seen in the success of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), which has helped to triple trade since 1994 among our three countries to a projected $1 trillion in 2008. It has also helped create millions of new jobs in all three countries. NAFTA is key to maintaining North America’s competitive edge in an increasingly complex, fast-paced and connected global marketplace.

The SPP complements the success of NAFTA. In New Orleans, we decided that our Ministers responsible for security and prosperity issues should renew and focus their work in increasing our economic competitiveness by making our regulations more compatible and improving protection of intellectual property; making our borders smarter and more secure; strengthening energy security and protecting the environment; improving our citizens’ access to safe food, health and consumer products; and improving our response to emergencies.

Click here to read the SPP Joint Statement by President Bush, President Calderón, and Prime Minister Harper at the North American Leaders’ Summit

Click here to read the White House SPP Leaders' Summit page with links to President Bush’s remarks at the Summit

Click here to read the Op-ed, “Three-nation partnership growing strong.” by Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte, published by the New Orleans Times Picayune

On April 4, I spent some time in Ciudad Juarez. Like others, I have been concerned about the reports of increased violence and crime in the area, and felt it was important to come to the region to see and hear first-hand how the current situation is unfolding. I met with U.S. government law enforcement agents and others knowledgeable about the state of affairs in Ciudad Juarez. They confirmed what I had been hearing by attributing the escalation of violence in part to competing organized crime networks vying for control of drug trafficking routes, as well as the governmental successes in disrupting these crime organizations. This trip also gave me the opportunity to evaluate how we should inform Americans of the dangers associated with narco-violence in this area.

On April 14, the travel alert for Mexico was revised and reissued to provide travelers with up-to-date information reflecting the current reality in Mexico, including the increased violence on the U.S.-Mexico border. Mexico remains an important tourist destination for U.S. citizens, with over twelve million Americans visiting Mexico each year for business, vacation, or to visit family and friends. It is important that these visitors have accurate and current information to make wise decisions in order to avoid potentially dangerous situations. The increased violence on the U.S.-Mexico border is widely known here in Mexico from watching the news every day, but many tourists are simply not as aware of what goes on in other countries as they are in their own. The Travel Alert does not advise Americans to avoid travel to any region or city; in fact, the vast majority of the thousands of U.S. citizens who cross the border by car or fly into Mexico’s airports each day do so safely, exercising common-sense precautions during their visits. However, it is also important for people to be aware of the risks they may face so they can plan accordingly and remain attentive to their surroundings.

To read this updated Travel Alert, click here

At the beginning of the month, I was in Tijuana to participate in the groundbreaking ceremony of a new U.S. Consulate General, and was honored by the presence of Baja California Governor Jose Osuna Millan, Tijuana Mayor Jorge Ramos, and Tijuana Secretary of Public Safety Alberto Capella, to witness this new beginning. Whether the issue is immigration, water, commerce, law enforcement or border security, if you really want to understand these matters, you have to go to the border. The construction of this new Consulate in Tijuana is a sign of the importance of our strong bilateral relationship. We are constructing this building for the future, a common future, that we share each day more, something we have done for centuries and will continue doing forever.

Click here to read Ambassador Garza’s entire remarks

Last week, I also had the opportunity to attend the World Economic Forum on Latin America from April 15-16 in Cancun, Mexico. The Forum brought together over 500 top leaders to discuss the future of Latin America in an uncertain economic landscape. At the opening plenary, Thomas Shannon, the Assistant Secretary for Western Hemisphere Affairs at the U.S. Department of State, highlighted the U.S.'s continued engagement in the region in support of open markets, democracy, social development, and security cooperation. Shannon emphasized that the U.S. knows it must remain engaged in Latin America, noting that, “Because of democratization, the opening of markets and globalization, Latin American countries have options they didn’t have before….we [the United States] are not the only ones around. This is a competitive environment.” Here in Mexico, we are doing just that, staying engaged on many fronts.

To read more about the World Economic Forum on Latin America, click here

Lastly, I’d like to mention some of the events the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) has been working on in Mexico. Recently, USAID joined Mexico's Ministry of Health in the celebration of World TB Day, commemorating the international fight against tuberculosis. During the event, the Secretary of Health confirmed Mexico's political commitment to international goals of reducing the incidence of tuberculosis by 2015. Representatives from the World Health Organization, USAID and other national partners all participated in this celebration. The collaboration between USAID and the Ministry of Health in fighting against tuberculosis was highlighted in the presentation of key program elements; particularly the USAID-funded National TB Drug Resistance Study, which will document the prevalence of multi- and extensively-drug resistant TB in the country. This study – a priority for Mexico – will provide the basis for improved policy and programs to assure effective treatment and prevention of this life-threatening illness.

USAID also recently announced the launch of the new U.S. – Mexico Training, Internships, Exchanges and Scholarships (TIES) University Partnerships request for applications. Currently there are 60 university partnerships working on development issues. USAID anticipates funding up to seven more University Partnership projects in the following areas: Strengthening Information and Communication Technology in Higher Education for Rural Development; Rule of Law; Conservation of Biodiversity and Economic Growth; and English Language Education. An article in the most recent edition of State Magazine highlights the TIES program as an example of successful collaboration between higher education institutions from the U.S. and Mexico. It also talks about how TIES scholarships are benefiting indigenous youth and teachers from marginalized regions of Mexico. I encourage you to find out more about this U.S.-Mexico partnership initiative.

Click here to read more about the TIES program in the April edition of State Magazine (This is a pdf file.  Click on the following to download Adobe Reader if necessary)

Click here for background on the TIES University Partnerships

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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