Posted on 03/20/2002 3:22:53 PM PST by RCW2001
SANDRA SOBIERAJ, Associated Press Writer
Wednesday, March 20, 2002
©2002 Associated Press
URL: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/news/archive/2002/03/20/national1557EST0742.DTL
(03-20) 16:18 PST WASHINGTON (AP) --
On the eve of his trip to Mexico, Peru and El Salvador, President Bush promised initiatives to ease the plight of would-be illegal immigrants, saying, "There are people in our neighborhood who hurt."
He embarks on the trip not quite ready, however, to resume drug surveillance flights over Peru or seek a base of U.S. counterterrorism operations near Peru's border with Colombia, National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice said Wednesday.
Bush leaves Thursday on a four-day trip that begins with a stop at the U.S.-Mexico border at El Paso, Texas. From there, he continues on to Monterrey, Mexico for two days of meetings related to a United Nations conference on aid to developing countries.
Cuba's Fidel Castro will be at the summit; but Rice said firmly that Bush has no plans to cross paths with the communist leader.
In advance of the economic deliberations with his international counterparts, Bush gave several interviews at the White House on Tuesday and Wednesday with Latin American journalists. He underscored his plan to make more than $5 billion in new foreign aid contingent on recipient nations' instituting corruption-fighting economic and political reforms.
"I want to do it in a way that rewards countries which battle corruption, which honor education, which focus on health care, so that there (are) good habits developed," Bush said Wednesday.
Under the new foreign aid initiative unveiled last week, Bush would offer developing nations about $1.7 billion the first year, about $3.3 billion in the second year and the full $5 billion in the third and subsequent years. If approved by Congress, the money would come on top of current U.S. aid levels and would be rewarded largely as grants rather than loans.
Foreign aid to corrupt governments only helps "an elite group of leaders," not needy citizens, Bush said.
"And that's not fair to the people of a particular country, nor is it fair to the taxpayers of the United States," Bush added without naming any nations.
As evidence of his administration's commitment to its southern neighbors, aides said Bush will announce in Mexico minor new initiatives aimed at creating jobs in the poorest areas of Mexico that send so many undocumented immigrants across the border in search of a better life.
The idea is to create "economic circumstances in Mexico that allow them to (stay) home," Rice said.
The president had hoped to carry with him on the trip a freshly minted law making it easier for hundreds of thousands of undocumented immigrants working in the United States to gain legal status.
But he has not been able to push through the Senate a House-passed bill he wants to extend the deadline for those immigrants to apply for residency without leaving the United States.
The legislation would also require immigration identification documents to be more tamper-resistant, toughen the alien applicant screening process, and require monitoring of foreign students and exchange visitors.
Referring to Democrats who control the Senate, Bush said: "I'm not confident they'll move on it."
Bush's state visit to Lima, Peru, on Saturday will mark the first time any U.S. president has visited that Andean democracy.
Despite hopes widely expressed by U.S. and Peruvian officials in advance of the trip, Bush does not have a decision to announce to President Alejandro Toledo on the resumption of drug interdiction flights, Rice said.
The flights were suspended last April after a Peruvian air force jet, working in coordination with a CIA surveillance plane, shot down a missionary plane, killing an American woman and her 7-month-old daughter.
Asked about reports in the Peruvian press that Bush planned to ask Toledo about establishing a U.S. counterterrorism operation near Peru's border with Colombia, Rice said such talk is "far premature."
While in Lima, Bush will meet with neighboring Colombia's lame-duck president, Andres Pastrana, who is barred by law from seeking a second term in that country's May 26 election.
Bush said he remains committed to persuading Congress to let him use American security aid to Colombia for counterterrorism initiatives there -- and not just anti-drug efforts, as is prescribed by current law.
"We expect (Colombia) to fight all renegade and terrorist groups," Bush said. "We have no interest in committing ground troops, but we do want to help them, and we'll do so."
Before returning to Washington late Sunday, Bush will stop in El Salvador's capital, San Salvador, for talks with President Francisco Flores that will wrap in the seven other Central American presidents over a working lunch.
©2002 Associated Press
There are US citizens that are hurting Mr. president, right here in our own country. You were elected president of the USA, not president of Mexico or Latin America.
That'd be the best thing ---there's a lot of coastal land that could be developed for tourism, the oil infrastructure in Mexico is need of upgrades and repair. There could be great wealth creation just using Mexico's vast resources.
Mr. President...what in the name of God are you trying to do?
Under the new foreign aid initiative unveiled last week, Bush would offer developing nations about $1.7 billion the first year, about $3.3 billion in the second year and the full $5 billion in the third and subsequent years. If approved by Congress, the money would come on top of current U.S. aid levels and would be rewarded
largely as grants rather than loans.
As evidence of his administration's commitment to its southern neighbors, aides said Bush will announce in Mexico minor new initiatives aimed at creating jobs in the
poorest areas of Mexico that send so many undocumented immigrants across the border in search of a better life. The idea is to create "economic circumstances in Mexico that allow them to (stay) home," Rice said.
Despite the largess of the United States, it is very seldom given credit and always expected to do more. It is unfortunate that when the President of the United States meets with the Mexican President he can always expect him to demand the United States do more for his people. I'm sorry President Fox, it's your job to do more for your people. How would you like it if our President always demanded you fork over billions for United States citizens and their needs?
If Bush does give undocumented illegal aliens legal status, it won't be the end of it. In eighteen months more illegals will want a loophole to cover them. Then others will demand a loophole for themselves. The gravy train needs to end. It ends now.
As for additional aid for the rest of the world, we don't even get credit for what we do now. This money isn't Bush's to give away. It's my money. It's your money. To hell with perpetual increases in donations forked over by the United States.
As for new job initiatives in Mexico, I must ask the obvious question. Mr. Bush, who's President are you. I'm G.D. sick and tired of watching you do your song and dance for the citizens of Mexico. If you don't want to represent me, resign. If you want to represent Mexican citizens, run for office in Mexico. Until you do that I'm going to ride your a-- until you realize that this nation doesn't want an advocate for Mexico.
We want an advocate for the United States Mr. President. The War Against Terrorism isn't the be-all end-all of your advocacy for us. And we shouldn't have to tell you what your job is. You should know that it is not to represent Mexico's interests.
Fox is imitating Castro in dumping his country's undesirables into this country.
Let me repeat: New initiatives to ease economic plight of would-be illegal immigrants. And we're all just sitting on our arses shaking our heads as it all goes down.
INCREDIBLE. Bush truly is a Liberal. A Liberal that cares more about the welfare of Illegal Aliens than he does for the Citizens of America that he supposed to represent and defend. The nightmare continues.
Yeah. Go get 'em. That will work, uh huh, uh huh. How about nuking Mexico? You ready for that next?
The article states a clear position to try and create jobs in Mexico, but that would keep people there and then we couldn't scream for the President's impeachment. Darn it all.
Proven beyond a doubt, bush IS an idiot.
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