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Mexican official says NAL Summit will focus on security and trade
August 05, 2009 1:42 PM
ABC News’ Yunji de Nies and Sarah Tobianski report:
A senior Mexican official spoke with reporters today, in advance of the North American Leaders summit this weekend. The official, speaking on background, explain that this summit is basically laying the ground work for future endeavors, and advised not expect to see any obvious deliverables – that developing the relationship is essentially the goal.
“No two countries are more important to each other’s security, prosperity, and well being than these two countries – simply by virtue of having a 2,000 mile border,” the official said.
President Obama will meet with President Filipe Calderon and Prime Minister Harper – in bi-lats and a tri-lat. The leaders will focus on four key areas.
1. Economic Recovery in North America
The leaders will focus on the auto industry, which affects all three nations. They will also discuss the issue of balancing security concerns along the border, with trade concerns – specifically the keeping trucks flowing in and out of Mexico, which are a ma
The official reminded reporters that while there is a lot of emphasis on the economic relationship with China, the Canada and Mexico are the US’s largest trading partners.
“For all of the mythology about China these days, for every dollar that China buys from the United States, Mexico and Canada together are buying $8 of American exports. We are your second largest buyer of exports. Canada is your first buyer of exports. So as we seek to ensure that our border is safe, and that we are monitoring and we’re ensuring that nobody uses it undermine the security of our three nations, we also need to make sure that as we thicken and strengthen our security on the border that we leave doors open for the free-flow of goods and services,” the official said.
2. Citizen Security
This is a broad area, that includes health issues like H1N1, along with the violent criminal activity along the border. “A great deal of the discussion will hinge on drugs and thugs,” the official said. To that end, the official said that drug related crime is still a major issue in Mexico – and directly connected to the demand in the U.S.
“The fight against drugs cannot be won in the traditional sense of a battle, a war or a soccer game,” the official said, “Until you really take control of demand and consumer markets, the demand for drugs is completely inelastic so the economics and dynamics will be such that as long as Mexico sits next to the largest consumer market of illicit drugs in the world.”
Mexico also wants more gun control in the U.S., particularly when it comes to assault weapons.
“I would like to see the assault weapons ban reinstated – it’s not philosophical, it’s because of what we have seen on the ground…There is a direct correlation between the assault ban and expiring in 2004 and the numbers – simply the sheer numbers – of assault weapons that we seize in Mexico…We are both cognizant of what can and cannot be done right now – we will softly, diplomatically…continue to say that this is an important issue for us but I think the real perspectives of this moving on Capitol Hill these days are slim to say the least,” the official said.
““The Mexican government is not about challenging the Second Amendment. That’s a sovereign decision of the United States. It’s a sovereign decision of the U.S. Congress. That’s up to you guys. But the Second Amendment wasn’t adopted by the Founding Fathers to allow transnational organized crime to illicitly buy weapons in the Unites States and be illicitly cross them over international borders into countries where those calibers and types of weapons are prohibited,” the official said.
On H1N1, the official did not have much to say, basically just touted the response as an example of efficacy. The official said the two countries had worked together on a plan when SARS began spreading in Asia in 2005, which helped the response to H1N1.
“This is a very clear example of how by preparing ahead, by working together, by trying to ahead of the curve, we have built a mechanism which allowed us to - I think - very efficiently, quickly transparently respond to the H1N1 virus this year. No surprises – this will be an important chunk of the discussion that will take place between the prime minister and the two presidents,” the official said.
3. Enhancing Trade
In addition to the economic priorities listed above, immigration reform will also be addressed in the Obama/Calderon bi-lat. They are not expected to talk specifics – more along the lines what the official called a “road map” for when/how reform might be possible.
“We see immigration as not only a challenge of how do you manage border flows but of how two countries – one abundant in labor the other one abundant in capital – can work together to create synergies where in a legal, transparent, orderly fashion can ensure that willing employees can match willing employees,” the official said.
4. Global/Regional Issues
Everything from Honduras and Cuba, to Iran and Afghanistan, energy and climate change.
The official also spoke about how Mexico would like the three countries to work as more of a block within the other existing partnerships (i.e. G20, G8) to leverage common goals.
This will be President Obama’s sixth meeting with his Mexican counterpart. The official described their relationship as a good one. “Both guys get one another. They understand each other,” the official said, listing off the things they have in common: both were underdogs when they started their bids for office, both left-handed, they got married the same year - both to successful attorneys.
--Yunji de Nies and Sarah Tobinanski
August 5, 2009 | Permalink | Share | User Comments (25)
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just three words my fellow Patriots:
REMEMBER THE ALAMO!!!
Posted by: Al A. Mo | Aug 13, 2009 2:50:37 AM
Maybe Mexico should do a better job of controlling their own border.
They can control incoming guns and we can focus on illegals and drugs.
Sounds fair to me!
Posted by: Jon | Aug 10, 2009 10:47:35 AM
BTW, what is with the Great O's mouth piece, that creepy Gibbs looks like he jumped out of a 1950's "B" movie set.
Posted by: westsidebob | Aug 8, 2009 6:51:41 PM
Since when did we start taking orders from a third world, corrupt thug government?
Oh that's right, ever since the Commander-in-Apologizer was elected on false pretenses.
The big "O" has enough to worry about if this economy does not turn around and soon.
If this health care bill is passed against the will of the people, big "O" will really step in it.
A recently demoralized and disorganized GOP is now quickly gaining traction with disenfranchised white working class voters. The Sotomayor, almost exclusively, Democratic nomination really feuled a lot of anger with the above group.
2010 will be interesting.
Posted by: westsidebob | Aug 8, 2009 6:00:35 PM
Those so-called "US exports" to Mexico are nothing more than raw materials that are transformed into finished goods and exported back to America as a trade deficit...
Posted by: Bigfoot Wallace | Aug 8, 2009 1:14:54 PM
It is very evident that Ed knows practly nothing about North American history. Ed makes it sound as if the USA with a very large, well armed army took a lot of precious land away from Mexico. In the beginning, in the 1800 hundres and before, Mexico was ruled by a series of very ruthless dictators. General Santa Anna was one such dude and decided the 'Texicans' where not paying enough taxes so proceeded bring a very large well armed army (some 3000 troops) in to Texas and either collect from or kill the offenders. The residents (people of various nationals) these folks decided NO DEAL GENERAL. A fellow by Name of Sam Houston got a ragtag group of men togather, poorley armed and with no time to train very well proceeded to whip the dickens out of the Generals well trained battle hardened troops (Santa Anna was wounded and captured)and then sent him packing with only a handfull of troops well enough to get him back to Mexico City with a message-in so many words- DO NOT COME BACK TO TEXAS, and that message stuck. The land that Mexico wants NEVER DID BELONG to Mexico. The apaches, Tejas and Aztecs and several other tribes further north had it and many bloody wars were fought between them. Since I am 82 years of age, different history was taught in the class rooms I attended-In other words the truth was the rule back in those days and that is long gone in this day and time.
Posted by: CV | Aug 7, 2009 11:14:22 AM
Further errosion of the natural right of law abiding Mexican citizens to defend themselves with firearms will only make life easier for criminals.
No Apologies for 1848,ED. Having something "stolen" (won by right of conquest) from you that the Spanish/Mexican empire stole from others is pretty weak. But if you're up to a rematch - "COME AND TAKE IT" and we'll see you in Monerey all over again.
Posted by: Randy Badger | Aug 7, 2009 10:09:30 AM
Since when did the United States start taking directions from a third-rate third-world thugocracy?It's too bad that we don't have a President and Congress who will tell the Mexican government to clean up their act and stop exporting their problems, criminals and diseases to our country!
Posted by: Peter Caroline | Aug 7, 2009 10:09:00 AM
Fewer than 50,000 true assault weapons exist for sale in the U.S. market...they are called M-16s, and fall under jusisdiction of the Nation Firearms Act...we already control these guns...how about getting serious about Mexico's corrupt leaders???
Posted by: Bill | Aug 7, 2009 7:29:39 AM
Or perhapps, on 2nd thought, since we already have Mexican drugs and Mexican gangs and Mexican illegal aliens closing our hospitals and helping to bust our budgets, we should import Mexican gun laws to complete the job.
Posted by: Woodpiggie | Aug 7, 2009 2:41:19 AM
Calderone, Harper and other officials of the criminal enterprise sometimes called the Mexican Government,are all too happy to back Obama's inevitable push for more U.S. gun bans, for obvious reasons.The propaganda cooperative between them and our "LIAR IN CHIEF" is up and running. Like Obama,s creepy little Chief of Staff says "never let a crisis go to waste".
Banning our guns will not and cannot prevent drug gang money from finding or even manufactring deadly weaponry in clandestine factories if need be, and Obamamamma knows it. The gangs already have machineguns, rpgs, and hand grenades that they're obviously not getting from US gun shows or stores. What Obama, his gun hating AG, and anti freedom buds in congress can do is make us more vulnerable to these ruthless killers as they expand their operations within the United States.
We need to muster every constitutional tool we have to make gun grabbing one of Obama's biggest failures.
Posted by: Woodpiggie | Aug 7, 2009 2:29:43 AM
You lied when you said this:
("direct correlation between the assault ban and expiring in 2004 and the numbers – simply the sheer numbers – of assault weapons that we seize in Mexico…")
The rise in numbers of drug gang members having guns is related to the simple fact that its only been recently that the Mexican government started cracking down on drug trafficking; that in turn motivated the purchases of so called "assault weapons".
But its no surprise that ABC news would allow such lies without actually gathering real and complete facts.
Posted by: David | Aug 6, 2009 9:47:18 PM
TL: Estas Loco Wey! Mexican people are fiercely nationalistic, and separate their corrupt government and society from the "greatness" of their country. They know it sucks in their country, they know the police and politicians are hopelessly corrupt, they know the system is designed to grind the poor and keep them there ... but they still think their country is much better than the US. Hell, Futbol proves that! So, nice going ... but you might want to consider that the Mexican people would be the last to go for such an idea.
Posted by: Monty Montezuma | Aug 6, 2009 9:34:49 PM
He's right, it isn't philosophical. Its absurd.
Drugs are banned, yet drug cartels exist - to a great extent thanks to corrupt official in Mexico i might add, and drugs still find their way in plentiful quantities in and through Mexico, and into the US.
If you don't like US Constitutional Freedoms and US laws, then hey *build a wall* to keep the guns out and your drugs in away from us. We will be oh so happy to help you build it.
Posted by: beezee0 | Aug 6, 2009 3:39:32 PM
In Mexico, it is difficult for law abiding citizens to obtain and carry guns, even though the Mexican Constitution has a provision guaranteeing the right to keep arms. It is instructive to compare:
a) Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, with strict gun control: about 1,500 murders in 2008.
b) Just across the border, El Paso, Texas, awash in legally owned pistols, shotguns and semiautomatic rifles, many of them owned and carried by Americans of Mexican descent: 18 homicides in 2008!
The lesson is clear. It's a pity that many in both nations don't understand it.
Posted by: Kevin P. | Aug 6, 2009 2:02:49 PM
Isn't interesting that a 3rd world country, and Mexico is a 3rd world country when you look at them, cannot control its rampant gangs and cartels now wants to control our ability to defend ourselves.
Most of the assault weapons in Mexico come from their southern neighbors, not the northern one. Time to dig a canal and build a 20 foot fence on our border with Mexico.
Posted by: RogerS | Aug 6, 2009 1:06:26 PM
Thank you, but I’ll keep interpretation of the Second Amendment to the experts – the people who actually wrote the thing. Just because Mexico believes that a disarmed populace is easier to control, that’s not our problem. If Mexico is so concerned about weapons trafficking, then they need to beef up the border – not only to keep alleged American weapons from entering their country, but to keep their citizens from illegally entering OURS! I’m all for a tighter border, and it seems to me that it would make everyone’s life easier.
Posted by: Mike | Aug 6, 2009 12:36:12 PM
So where do all the grenades that are flowing into mexico coming from? I don't recall being able to buy those at a gun show. Maybe the same place they are getting their "assault" weapons from? You know, military deserters, the international arms black market etc.
Posted by: speed6 | Aug 6, 2009 12:21:03 PM
Get real, an assault weapons ban won't prevent your military from continuing to sell it's weapons to the cartels. Guns aren't the problem, guns used to commit violence are a symptom of other problems that you refuse to address. Rather than fix Mexico's problems, it seems easier to disarm your citizens. That's up to your government, we don't have to be part of it... so forget about an assault weapons ban, it's not on the menu.
Posted by: mark | Aug 6, 2009 11:55:41 AM
Alamo Anna?Change our constitution?? Anna are you a socialist or a communist?? Our constitution was given to us to protect us from people like you!Many of us wore our country's uniform and gave of ourselves to protect our country and constitution!! Did you? Give people who came here without proper papers, what they want and change our consttution! NEVER! SEND THEM BACK!!
Posted by: william | Aug 6, 2009 9:52:47 AM
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