The President's News Conference With President Vicente Fox in San Cristobal, Mexico

Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents, Feb 26, 2001

February 16, 2001

President Fox. Good afternoon. Good afternoon, Mr. President. This morning I have held very productive and cordial talks with the President of the United States, Mr. George W. Bush. We have agreed on a set of principles and values to provide our relationship as neighbors with more constructive dynamics of more intense, cooperation, in order to unfold all the potential of our bilateral relations.

The fact that the President--George Bush's first foreign visit has our country as its destination is a clear message of the interest his administration places on strengthening links with Mexico. At the same time, it is quite a distinction.

This starting point is very encouraging, so that both Mexicans and Americans, together, to inaugurate an era of shared prosperity together. I also acknowledge President Bush's demonstration of friendship by coming to Guanajuato, the cradle of Mexico's independence. And I am particularly grateful for his greeting my mother, Dona Mercedes, as well as for his visit to my house--his house-- herein San Gristobal.

Let me tell you, Mr. President, that you will always be welcome in this, your home-- or, in your language, President, you know that we consider you a friend of Mexico, a friend of Mexican people, and a friend of mine.

The agreements we have reached today are embodied in the document that we have, and we ratified our commitment to values of democracy and the promotion of human rights, as well as the aim of the fruits of development reach all sectors of our society.

The global and hemispheric agenda, also an important part of our talks, as is fitting in a mature dialog between two prominent members of the international community. We have identified a renewed will for cooperation to design, together with our Canadian partners, a region guided by the search for shared prosperity.

We, the Presidents of Mexico and the United States, have the favorable circumstance of beginning our respective mandates simultaneously. This enables us to project our common objectives with a long term vision and to undertake negotiations in areas that require a decisive and systematic impetus from the two governments.

Mr. President Bush, the spirit in which we have conducted this first working meeting marks the beginning of a novel stage in our bilateral relations. I am certain that we will be able to take advantage of the historic opportunity we have today to set out on the way to a century of shared prosperity. We will face this challenge on the basis of mutual trust, with a fresh and creative vision to advance in the topics of our bilateral agenda.

Once again, welcome, and this is your home.

President Bush. Muchas gracias, amigo, el Presidente de Mexico. Su recepcion tan calida refleja el grande amistad entre nuestros pueblos. Me hace sentir que estoy entrefamilia. Thank you very much.

It's a great honor to come to Mexico as this important nation enjoys a new birth of freedom, signaled by President Fox's election. Our meetings today have been a really good opportunity to renew our personal friendship and the friendship between Mexico and the United States.

Mexico is the first foreign country I have visited as President, and I intended it to be that way. Our nations are bound together by ties of history, family, values, commerce, and culture. Today, these ties give us an unprecedented opportunity. We have a chance to build a partnership that will improve the lives of citizens in both countries.

I came here today to seek President Fox's views on how we can go about building on our partnership. We enjoyed a warm and substantive and frank dialog on the many issues that shape the relationship between America and Mexico.

We talked about strengthening our trade relationship, which offers hope and opportunity on both sides of our border. We talked about how our two nations can work together to meet our current and future energy needs. We exchanged ideas about safe and orderly migration, a policy that respects individuals on both sides of the border. We talked about expanding educational opportunities. We talked about what we can do together to fight drug trafficking and other types of organized crime.

We also talked about what we can do together to extend the benefits of freedom and prosperity throughout the entire hemisphere. I told President Fox that building a hemisphere of freedom will be a fundamental commitment of my administration. We both look forward to discussing these ideas with other hemispheric leaders in Quebec in April at the Summit of the Americas.

We are welcoming a new day in the relationship between America and Mexico. Each nation has a new President and a new perspective. Geography has made us neighbors. Cooperation and respect will make us partners. And the promise of the partnership was renewed and reinvigorated today.

Thank you very much.

President Fox. If I understood correctly, we're going to take questions in Spanish for the Mexican press, and some questions in English for the American press. So we'll go first to the women first, and here we'll take the Spanish question first.