http://usinfo.state.gov/wh/Archive/2006 ... 14450.html

U.S.-Mexico Binational Commission Meets in Washington
Officials from both countries review cooperation on bilateral issues

U.S.-Mexico relations are “broad and deep,” Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said after the March 24 U.S.-Mexico Binational Commission meeting, held in Washington.

Rice and Mexican Foreign Minister Luis Ernesto Derbez co-chaired the meeting.

The BNC brings together Cabinet-level officials from the United States and Mexico annually for discussions of issues affecting relations between the two countries. (See related article.)

A State Department media note explained that the March 24 BNC meeting also featured 10 working groups of senior U.S. and Mexican officials who examined such issues as law enforcement and security cooperation, immigration policy, environmental safeguards, energy integration and the enhancement of trade and commerce to increase North American competitiveness in the global economy.

After the BNC discussions, Rice and Derbez held a press briefing during which they paid tribute to strong bilateral ties founded on common values and many shared interests. U.S.-Mexico relations are "broad and deep," and the BNC "gives us a chance to review ... systemic problems" on the basis of a sturdy friendship, said Rice.

Derbez added that the U.S. and Mexican governments are "working very closely to solve the problems between our two nations," through the BNC and other vehicles. He said the BNC meeting also sets the scene for the March 30-31 meeting in Cancun, Mexico, between President Bush, Mexican President Vicente Fox and Canadian Prime Minister Ben Harper.

A fact sheet detailing the achievements of the BNC meeting is available on the State Department Web site.

For more information on U.S. policy, see Mexico.

Following is the text of the State Department media note:



U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
Office of the Spokesman
March 24, 2006

Media Note

U.S.-Mexico Binational Commission

Secretary Condoleezza Rice and Mexican Foreign Minister Luis Ernesto Derbez today co-chaired the 22nd meeting of the U.S.-Mexico Binational Commission.

In addition to Rice, the United States was represented by Department of Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff, Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta, Education Secretary Margaret Spellings, Environmental Protection Agency Deputy Administrator Marcus Peacock, Deputy Interior Secretary P. Lynn Scarlett, Housing and Urban Development Deputy Secretary Roy Bernardi, Acting USAID Administrator Fred Schieck, and Peace Corps Director Gaddi Vasquez.

This year the Binational Commission included 10 working groups involving senior U.S. and Mexican officials. The frank and productive discussions in this setting are fundamental to expanding and deepening security and law enforcement cooperation, enhancing citizen safety in both countries, and exploring ways to make legitimate travel and commerce easier.

This year's meeting afforded senior U.S. and Mexican policymakers the opportunity to consult on critical hemispheric issues such as promoting democracy, particularly in countries where it is fragile, as well as other regional and global challenges. Participants agreed that democracy, rule of law, and market economies with opportunity for all is the only basis upon which policies of sustainable development can be built.

Coming just prior to President Bush's meeting in Cancun with President Fox and Canadian Prime Minister Harper next week to review the Security and Prosperity Partnership of North America (SPP), the Binational Commission with Mexico underscores the priority the Administration accords the North American partnership and the leadership role of North America in the Western Hemisphere and worldwide.

During our meetings today, the United States renewed its commitment to agreements to ensure the safety and security of our common border; we confirmed the importance of bilateral law enforcement efforts, especially along the border, and our efforts to return criminal fugitives to justice via the OASISS prosecution program and increased extraditions. We also agreed on safe, dignified, and effective measures to repatriate persons crossing our borders, and on a template for local repatriation procedures.

We reaffirmed our cooperation in forestry, including fire management and prevention, strengthened our good governance agenda, targeted methane recovery programs to better control pollution, and further committed to the delivery of low-sulfur fuels in key areas of Mexico. We affirmed U.S. support for Mesoamerica/Central American energy integration through U.S. engagement in the Inter-American Development Bank and USAID and United States Trade and Development Agency programs.

The two governments recognized the achievements of the "Partnership for Prosperity," a unique public-private partnership begun in 2001 to stimulate increased development, economic infrastructure, and education and financial-sector cooperation.

Secretary Rice expressed the gratitude of the United States to the Government and people of Mexico for the generous assistance they provided during the destruction of Hurricane Katrina six months ago. The American people will never forget how our neighbor came to the help of distressed American citizens in their time of need.

The Binational Commission meeting is a strong signal that the U.S.-Mexico partnership that inspired NAFTA continues to deepen our economic integration, strengthen the security of our citizens, and provide a model of freedom and opportunity for the hemisphere and the world.


Created: 24 Mar 2006 Updated: 24 Mar 2006