Council of the Americas: Mexico's President Fox Calls for Urgent Disarmament as Only Path to Advert Conflict in Middle East.

Business Editors

MEXICO CITY--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 25, 2003

Speech Highlights 55th Plenary of the U.S.-Mexico Business Committee

Mexico's President Vicente Fox called today for urgent Iraqi disarmament and the elimination of weapons of mass destruction as the only way to bring lasting peace to the Middle East.

In an address to U.S. and Mexican business leaders sponsored by the Council of the Americas and the Mexican International Trade Council (COMCE), President Fox told U.S. Ambassador Tony Garza and other assembled guests that Mexico would stand with the international community to bring about Iraqi compliance with UN resolutions calling for Iraqi disarmament and full compliance with the demands of international inspectors.

Said Council of the Americas President and CEO Myles Frechette, "This was a thoughtful and nuanced statement by President Fox which, in the wake of the introduction yesterday of the UN resolution sponsored by the U.S., Great Britain, and Spain, shows that Mexico will meet its obligations as a partner, friend, and a member of the international community. At the same time, the United States should also take steps to build this critical bilateral relationship even as the Iraq situation potentially builds to a climax."

In addition, Fox called for the creation of a common homeland security policy for North America, protecting the region from terrorist and other security challenges as the next step in the successful and still evolving NAFTA relationship. Fox strongly reaffirmed NAFTA, stating that Mexico's economy has doubled since the agreement was implemented; that the Mexican export sector is responsible for more than half of all jobs created since 1994 with those employed in the export sector receiving salaries some 40 percent higher than average; and that Mexico now imports more from the United States than France, Italy, Germany, Spain and England combined. Nonetheless, certain sectors have been negatively impacted, and he indicated that his government would place particular emphasis on programs to make Mexico's agriculture sector more competitive, with discussions already underway with Mexican farmers.

Former U.S. Ambassador to Mexico James Jones, in introducing President Fox, also said that NAFTA had been a tangible success, fundamentally altering the U.S.-Mexico relationship. He suggested that now is time, not only to expand the benefits of NAFTA to the rest of the hemisphere, but also to ensure that the benefits of NAFTA must be more broadly shared across all economic sectors in Mexico, the United States, and Canada. Additionally, he laid out a post-NAFTA agenda including migration reform, environmental issues, and border development.

Council Vice President for Washington Operations Eric Farnsworth said, "This expanded, post-NAFTA agenda provides a roadmap for the types of activities in which the binational business community will increasingly engage, and is something both the Council of the Americas and COMCE will actively be discussing in the weeks and months ahead."

About Council of the Americas

The Council of the Americas is a business organization whose members share a common commitment to free trade and open markets throughout the Americas. Our programming and advocacy aim to inform, encourage, and promote increasingly free and integrated markets for the benefit of the companies that comprise our membership, as well as of the United States and all the people of the Americas.

http://www.counciloftheamericas.org