Bush Tries to Mend Ties With Mexico

NewsMax ^

[Happy2BMe]

MONTERREY, Mexico – President Bush and Mexican President Vicente Fox, their relationship strained by tensions over immigration and Iraq, met privately for talks on a range of issues Monday as a prelude to an international summit meeting of 34 Western Hemisphere nations.

The Bush White House saw the face-to-face meeting not only as a chance to mend ties between the two countries, but also to earn political capital for a president who wants a second term.

Bush arrived in this industrial city at midday at an airport where gun-toting troops in green fatigues and security officers roamed the grounds. He and his wife, Laura, walked down into a phalanx of Mexican officials, all men wearing dark suits.

The couple were followed in the procession of greeting by Secretary of State Colin Powell, national security adviser Condoleezza Rice and White House chief of staff Andy Card. Once in his motorcade, Bush passed large expanses of brush and cactus- covered land. Men digging ditches alongside the road stopped and leaned on their tools to watch him pass by.

On a 90-minute flight here from Texas, Bush got a briefing from Rice and Powell on the summit, said his press secretary, Scott McClellan.

In his meeting with Fox, the spokesman said, the president was expected to discuss his new, more open immigration policy, strengthening border security and free trade. McCellan dismissed talk of the meeting as an opportunity to air grievances.

"We have a good relationship with Mexico, and President Fox is a good friend of the president's", McClellan said. "Whatever differences we had in the past, we have a lot of common challenges that we are working closely together on."

Sorry, Castro

Bush annoyed Fox when he put changes in immigration on the back burner after the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks. Their relationship further soured when Mexico failed to back the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq. But the two were expected to be smiling, at least for the cameras, at the summit of freely elected leaders. Cuba was not invited.

"Fox has an opportunity to hail the Bush immigration proposal as a political victory, given that he has been asking for an immigration agreement since day one," said Armand Peschard-Sverdrup, director of the Mexico project at Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington. "I think to some extent, Bush will use it as a photo op for reaching out to the Hispanic voters."

Amid the congenial handshakes will be disagreements. Latin American nations butted heads with the United States until nearly dawn Sunday in failing to agree on several points of a draft document to be debated at the two-day summit.

Bigger Than NAFTA

The United States wants the draft to call for re-emphasizing a 2005 deadline for finishing negotiations on a Free Trade Area of the Americas, a hemisphere-wide trade zone that is one of Bush's top policy goals for Latin America. Brazil and Venezuela say the summit is not the place to discuss it.

The United States also wants to kick corrupt governments out of the Organization of American States, a move opposed by several Latin American nations.

Other discussion topics at the summit, held in Mexico's third-largest city, 150 miles south of the Texas border city of Laredo, include strengthening free republics, ending poverty, security and helping small businesses with low-interest loans.

Argentina's President Nestor Kirchner is upset about recent U.S. criticism over its warming relations with Cuba. U.S. officials privately worry that President Hugo Chavez of Venezuela, who warned U.S. officials on Saturday not to "stick their noses" in his nation's affairs, is working with Cuba to oppose pro-American republics in the region.

200 Million More on the U.S. Taxpayers' Dole?!

Some Latin American leaders accuse America of being heavy-handed. They argue that the United States has neglected social issues, such as raising the standard of living for 200 million people, nearly one-half the region's population, who live in poverty.

Between bilateral meetings Monday with President Ricardo Lagos of Chile and President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva of Brazil, Bush's schedule called for his speech at the summit's opening ceremonies. He planned to promote free trade, open markets, clean elections and anti-corruption steps to help strengthen freedom in the hemisphere.

An administration official said the United States also planned to announce it would return to Peru $20 million allegedly stolen by Vladimiro Montesinos, a former Peruvian intelligence chief, and stashed in American bank accounts.

© 2003 Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

[Dane]

The Swiss promised to sniper shoot every German officer who entered their country. No enlisted guys, just officers. And since every male over the age of 16 was required to practice and submit target results every month and of course was required to own arms and ammo, this was no bluff

Oh come on the Germans could have invaded Switzerland in a week. They didn't need to since the Swiss were basically on nazi's side.

[Happy2BMe]

Invest in Microsoft. It is released in Chinese and Spanish versions now. The English version will be available as a special order item.

[Dane]

The English version will be available as a special order item

Whew all around the world, English the language of business and commerce, but you are so afraid that it is dying, when it has already become the world language.

[Peace will be here soon]

It takes the US and South Korea billions of dollars each year to maintain it and it also takes a conscripted South korean army of 750,000 to man it. Now multiply the money and manpower by 20 and you have your "dream" of a sealed border.

This is a bunch of baloney. South Korea is protecting its borders from an invasion from a North Korean Army! We only need to stop "mostly" un-armed people from entering our country. America is the most technologically advanced nation in the world. Put a little faith in your fellow countrymen to find the needed solution. Maintaining the mindset that "it cannot be done" will guarantee it never will be.

[hershey]

Maybe the idea is that we hand the country over to Fox and friends, and US citizens will move to the moon and Mars. Hey, that's not a bad idea when you think about it. All we needed was some overpowering reason to colonize outer space, and this might just be it.

[brydic1]

It was not because the Swiss for pro-Napoleonic, or pro-Kaiser, or pro-Hitler, or pro Mussolini that saved them from invasion over the years. It was because every neighbor in Europe was well aware that the Alps as well as the citizens and government of Switzerland would contest such an action in the most brutal way if they tried.

[blackdog]

Thank you for your support.

I think someone is having a bad case of the monday's.

Has anyone ever asked you that, that you're having a bad case of the monday's? (great line from "Office Space")

[JoeFromSidney]

Bush Tries to Mend Ties With Mexico

When is Mexico going to try mending ties with the US? Why is the onus always on us to make nice with them?

[blackdog]

Oh great! Then the cause of global warming will be from American space colonialism and they will throw large rocks and debris at us which will fall back to earth, hitting them in the heads. The few survivors will be living in Spider holes and will meet on solar powered walkie talkie phones once a month to decide who's turn it is to be king of the world and who gets to hide Iraq's WMD's from the moon's spy satellites.

[TigersEye]

Bush and Fox both want a European Union kind of thing How do you feel about Fox and all the other Latin American leaders rotating in the presidency of such a thing?

Is this a word association type of question? If so then my answers are; Alex Trebek, MRE's, Lost Continent, Lee Loader, Camino del Diablo and One Life to Live. (I never could give just one answer...Lay's Potato Chips!)

[rintense]

I agree. Fox's BS about no borders should have been the phrase that made GWB planted his boot on Fox's ass. I do not like this whole immigration plan, and this crap with Fox is getting me pissed.

[blackdog]

Anyone who's married or been married knows the answer to your silly question. The human condition requires that those least complicit apologise and continue to do so on a constant basis for anything which may or may not be real, that which is self inflicted, or anything a psychologist you've never met say's is your fault.

[hershey]

Damn right.

[blackdog]

I didn't bother to mention the post apology consequences. Once the apology is offered, those least familiar with any points relevant to the offense contact your people and demand compensation, using your apology as a weapon.

Bush's recent Africa spree was the compensation phase of the Clinton issued apology.

"Never apologise and never give up"- Churchill(my dog)

[blackdog]

My dog(Churchill) uses that same rule on all threats. Skunks, cats, horses, sheep, porcupines, snakes, rats, groundhogs, and anything which seems out of place.

It's his terra firma and anything on it gets no apology for anything. Any mess said threat may create in his back yard is rolled in thoroughly so that he is reminded of the foulness of those who would do him harm.

Needless to say, on a farm he's constantly on code orange. But it gives him something to do.

[ETERNAL WARMING]

Bush had better try to mend ties with CONSERVATIVES. Can you say One Termer?

[solo gringo]

If i was President and Fox better thank god i am not.I would tell Fox Of mexico to f**k off.Fox should be crawling to President Bush on hand and knees begging for forgiveness and pray that President Bush would even speak to the COWARD.
President Bush Mending fences give me a break.

[brydic1]

Today I heard the Chairman of the California Democrat Party criticize Bush because he is not demanding that the Fox extradite Mexicans wanted for murder or other high crimes in the US. If the dems were smart they would run to the right of GWB on this issue just as Kennedy did with Nixon in 1960, claiming that the US was not spending enough on armaments to fight communism. We know, of course, it would merely be campaign fodder but it just might work for them as it did for Kennedy.

[blackdog]

I know whatchya mean. Listening to democrats banshee-like banter is like up is down and fast is stop. They've been stood on their heads.

Keep the tape rolling and don't stop for anything. Nobody would believe what they are saying if you didn't have it on tape.

We may be witnessing the entire destruction of the democrat party. Or is it democratic party for some odd reason? I mean there is no republicanic party?

They are like monkeys with machine guns in a crowded cage right now. Bush just keeps feeding them more oranges and ammo clips. Last one standing is the new minority leader of a microminority consisting of Pickled Ted and a spare liver donor.

[ETERNAL WARMING]

I don't think it would work...all of us remember the influx and pandering under Clinton, plus his signing of NAFTA. They'd have a hard time making us believe they've changed their minds on the issue.