Thread: North America Must Integrate for Trade, Calderon Says

I hope this hasn't already been posted.

Sept. 25 (Bloomberg) -- North American economies must better integrate or risk falling further behind in competitiveness with Europe and Asia, Mexican President Felipe Calderon said.

``North America has been losing market share in world exports,'' Calderon said today at the Economic Club of New York. ``We in North America are losing time.''

Calderon called on the U.S. earlier this week to preserve the North American Free Trade Agreement, saying Sept. 23 that any renegotiation may be harmful. He said today that Mexico, which sells 80 percent of its exports to the U.S., is diversifying more toward Europe and Latin America.

U.S. critics of free trade have been more vocal this year as confidence in the economy erodes, and Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama has said Nafta should be changed to include labor and environmental standards.

Calderon also said the U.S. and Mexico need to improve security and efficiency at their shared border, and that border control hasn't improved since Nafta came into effect.

``We need to diminish the transportation and logistical costs,'' said Calderon, who received a standing ovation at the end of his speech. ``This is how Nafta can improve.''

Pemex Proposal

Calderon also urged Mexico's Congress to vote on his proposal to give state oil monopoly Petroleos Mexicanos more leeway to hire private and foreign companies. The president says his bill will help the company invest to reverse declining oil output. He said today that Brazil's Petroleo Brasileiro SA was an example of a successful state-controlled company.

``Of course, it's a very sensitive issue. In political terms, it's like a capital sin to talk about it,'' he said, provoking laughter from a roomful of bankers, investors and diplomats at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel.

``Take a decision,'' he said in reference to Congress. ``We don't have time to waste. We're losing capability of production.''

Pemex on Sept. 22 said that crude oil output fell 9.2 percent to 2.834 million barrels a day in the first eight months of the year. Declining output is costing 275 billion pesos ($26 billion) in sales this year and threatening Mexico's budget, as 40 percent of the government's revenue comes from Pemex royalties.

Congress may vote on the issue as soon as next month. Calderon submitted his initiative in April.

Fighting Drug Cartels

The president said he will continue to use the army, navy and federal police to enforce the law. Since taking power in late 2006, Calderon has sent tens of thousands of soldiers to regions where violence is escalating as drug cartels are battling for territory.

``Everyday I dream of a safer Mexico,'' Calderon said.

Groups such as Human Rights Watch have criticized the government's policy of using the military to fight drug traffickers in civilian areas, pointing out rights violations committed by the military.

They advocated for the U.S. to include conditions to help prevent abuses in a $400 million anti-drug aid package for Mexico, known as the Merida Initiative, that was approved in June. U.S. lawmakers agreed to partly soften those conditions after Mexican officials objected.

``If the U.S. government is going to engage in a multi-year partnership with Mexico, the government has to ensure it's not giving a blank check to abusive security forces,'' said Tamara Taraciuk, researcher on Mexican issues for Human Rights Watch in Washington.

Mexico's president, speaking yesterday at the United Nations General Assembly, urged all countries to work together to prevent violence committed by organized crime gangs.

Mexican drug cartels have grown powerful on profits from selling marijuana, cocaine and heroin to U.S. users. Violence related to trafficking has resulted in almost 3,300 killings this year, including the assassination of about 300 policemen.

To contact the reporters on this story: Fabiola Moura in New York at fdemoura@bloomberg.net; Jens Erik Gould in Mexico City at jgould9@bloomberg.net

Last Updated: September 25, 2008 15:07 EDT
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid= ... in_america

Thanks, but no thanks, Felipe.

Calderon can just a stick a cork in it.

As a failed nation which has NEVER done anything to help itself they are simply trying to come in and take what others have built through years of hard work.

They can ALL go straight to Hell with Calderon and Fox leading the Marcha Grande.

Kick Endgame into full force. Shut down the Consulates. Militarize our Border. Keep Calderon on his own side of it. Cut off Mexico....COMPLETELY......... and let them rot in their own squalor.

Mexico is NOT in North America, it is central America. We have far more in common with Canada. Mexico is failed third-world country.
Yes, if we don't act fast we too will join the third-world club.

``We need to diminish the transportation and logistical costs,'' said Calderon, who received a standing ovation at the end of his speech. ``This is how Nafta can improve.''

What a nice way of telling us that we need a wide-open border.

North America Must Integrate for Trade, Calderon Says

Go fly a friggin kite, you bum, you pathetic peice of garbage.

Yea, we see what kind of trade Mexico offering. They are exporting a bunch of illegal aliens eating up our social welfare, voting in two countries and taking money and creating a trade deficit because we are buying our outsourced manufactured goods back.

Forget it. Mexico has taken too much from us and has nothing to offer in return.

Calderon just wants to sell us his oil at $100 a barrell to us suckers.

Dixie

Originally Posted by azwreath

Calderon can just a stick a cork in it.

As a failed nation which has NEVER done anything to help itself they are simply trying to come in and take what others have built through years of hard work.

They can ALL go straight to Hell with Calderon and Fox leading the Marcha Grande.

Kick Endgame into full force. Shut down the Consulates. Militarize our Border. Keep Calderon on his own side of it. Cut off Mexico....COMPLETELY......... and let them rot in their own squalor.

I agree! Mexico has been a third world turd bucket nation from the beginning of time. Mexicans have NEVER tried to improve themselves. They are leeches who want to feed off the hard work of other countries. NO ONE IN THEIR RIGHT MIND WANTS TO INTEGRATE WITH MEXICO FOR TRADE. THEIR IS NOTHING IN IT FOR AMERICA!

I just love hearing them tell us how to run our country when theirs is a complete failure.

Another Broke A$$ Country trying to stick it's peeny-less hand in the US's Broke A$$ Pocket for more hand outs...

we are a sovereign Nation wether you want us to be or not... go back and pick some red beans pronto, pronto