Posted on 10/27/2002 9:55:18 AM PST by madfly
LOS CABOS, Mexico, Oct. 26 (UPI) -- Presidents George W. Bush of the United States and Vicente Fox of Mexico announced Saturday that they would continue efforts to reach an agreement on Mexican migration to the United States, to help poor Mexican farmers and other common interests.
The Mexican president also expressed his support for tackling the threats posed by Iraq and North Korea. Both are believed to be trying to develop weapons of mass destruction. The two leaders spoke to reporters at an economics summit in Mexico.
Bush and Fox appeared less relaxed than during previous meetings but emphasized their friendship as neighbors with common interests.
Bush said that he and Fox share a "mutual desire to tackle the (Mexican) migration issue" and emphasized the need to "respect" Mexican residents in the United States. Bush pointed to the "wage differential" between the United States and Mexico and said that the "long-term solution to the migration issue," which both he and Fox sought, was to create more work in Mexico not only near the U.S. border but "in the midst of Mexico, in the south of Mexico so that people can have a job at home."
Bush's comments on the need to create jobs in Mexico did not suggest any fresh breakthrough on migration negotiations was near. Mexico's desire has been for an accord that would legalize at least some of the Mexican workers currently living illegally in the United States.
Bush and Fox were asked about their approach to agricultural subsidies in the United States, which the Bush administration increased this year, provoking an outcry in Mexico and elsewhere. The subsidies encourage higher U.S. production and make it more difficult for producers elsewhere to compete.
Fox said that the two presidents were "working together in a cooperative way" so that "poor Mexican producers would have an opportunity to earn income."
On the issue of international terrorism, Bush said that he had been encouraged by comments Friday by President Jiang Zemin of China, that "the Korean peninsula should be nuclear weapons-free." Bush added that the United States is trying to persuade Korean leader Kim Jong Il that a nuclear-free Korea was "in his interests."
On the question of the threat posed by Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein, Bush said he would repeat what he had said before, that "If the United Nations won't act, if Saddam Hussein won't disarm, we will lead a coalition to disarm him."
Fox's comments on the need to tackle Hussein were supportive. He said Mexico wanted to see a "strong resolution" from the United Nations that was "satisfactory for the United States," so that "international terrorism did not proliferate."
Copyright © 2002 United Press International
Bush spoke at the side of Mexican President Vicente Fox, who hosted an economic conference of Pacific Rim nations. Mexico does not support the hard-line resolution Bush seeks.
Asked whether there would be consequences for any nation that does not support his views, Bush said, "The only consequence, of course, is with Saddam Hussein."
Fox, speaking through an interpreter, said he stressed with Bush his hopes the United Nations could resolve the impasse. But the Mexican leader gave no indication he would yield to Bush's demand for a resolution with consequences.
"We are listening and talking and we want to search for and do everything possible for a strong resolution, a resolution that will result in the prompt return of inspectors, that Iraq complies with the existing agreements with the United Nations," Fox said.
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Sorry, but I don't trust Fox. And I don't think Bush does either. Their meeting yesterday was less than friendly looking.
This is encouraging. Before 9/11, Bush did make some remarks about a mutual immigration policy and a guest-worker program, but he has said little about that since and he hasn't done anything to promote that. He allowed 245(i) to be blocked in the Senate with no comment. I'm beginning to believe that he's not so crazy about enabling Fox to ditch his uneducated, nasty criminal element off on us. He did NOT look comfortable at that meeting yesterday.
I've got to give Bush some credit there. One of the major problems with NAFTA and the maquilas is it brought millions of Mexicans to the border, they had to leave homes and families behind to move to desert towns that were unable to handle the migration of hundreds of thousands of people living in squatter-towns. The social upheaval is enormous.
You might be right. Much of Mexico's problems are self-induced, there are internal reasons for their wage differentials. For one they haven't allowed Mexican farmers to import farm machinery that makes American farmers so much more efficient. One reason illegals prefer to work on American farms is they can drive tractors and make good money because they are more efficient, in Mexico the work is extremely hard because it's all manual labor and very inefficient so they can't have good wages there.
I so much want to believe that GWB and all of our leaders are getting the message...we don't need immigrants, all illegals and as many legals as possible (all nationalities) should be sent home. The borders should be closed to new residents, all nationalities, no exceptions that will only lead to court cases for equal treatment.
Mexico has resources. It has land. It would be a better country if it created an economic structure of self-sufficiency for those poor Mexicans Fox says he cares so much about.
But, I'm cynical. This sounds really good, and it's encouraging. Is it a real shift toward understanding what security and the future of US culture, legal system, and values require? Or is it just hype for the vote? Unfortunately, we have been given no reason to trust any of our elected officials (except Representative Tancredo) on this issue.
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