Thread: STATEMENT BY MINISTERS RESPONSIBLE FOR

STATEMENT BY MINISTERS RESPONSIBLE FOR
THE SECURITY AND PROSPERITY PARTNERSHIP
OF NORTH AMERICA


Ottawa - The Leaders of Canada, Mexico and the United States launched the Security and Prosperity Partnership of North America (SPP) to increase security, prosperity, and improve the quality of life for the citizens of each sovereign nation. Last March in Cancun, Leaders reaffirmed their commitment to the SPP and identified five priorities: 1) Strengthening Competitiveness through creation of a private sector-led North American Competitiveness Council (NACC), and enhancing regulatory cooperation; 2) Emergency Management; 3) Avian and Pandemic Influenza; 4) Energy Security; and 5) Smart, Secure Borders.

We, the Canadian and United States Ministers responsible for Foreign Affairs, Security and Prosperity, are pleased to welcome our counterparts from the new Government of Mexico. We met today to review progress since the Leaders' meeting in Cancun and are pleased to report that progress has been achieved in a number of areas.

In order to ensure tangible results on the Cancun priorities:

• We requested that the trilateral regulatory cooperation framework meant to enhance competitiveness, while maintaining high standards of health and safety be finalized by the next Leaders' Summit.

• We directed the members of the Coordinating Body to finalize the North American Plan on Avian and Pandemic Influenza by June 2007.

• We established a senior level coordinating body to prioritize and oversee emergency management activities in the following areas: 1) emergency response, 2) critical infrastructure protection; 3) border resumption in the event of an emergency; and 4) border incident management.

• We welcomed the progress achieved to date on the Smart, Secure Border agenda, and called upon officials to develop additional recommendations for Leaders in this area.

• We took note of the progress achieved by Energy Ministers in implementing priorities identified by Leaders in the areas of innovation, energy efficiency and technology development, and energy market facilitation, and look forward to further progress in advance of the Leaders' meeting.

For the next Report to Leaders, we have tasked SPP working groups and coordinators with revitalizing and streamlining their work plans to ensure that initiatives are more focussed and results-oriented. We discussed the importance of transparency and communication with stakeholders and the public, and directed officials to expand their efforts in this regard. We also asked officials to pursue greater coordination amongst various working groups and initiatives in recognition that many issues cut across security and prosperity.

We thank the representatives of Canada, Mexico and the United States of the NACC for their dedication and commitment, and for their report on enhancing competitiveness. We note their recommendations in the areas of border crossing facilitation, standards and regulatory cooperation, and energy integration. Our respective governments will review the report and consider carefully its recommendations in preparation for the next Leaders' meeting. We will continue to work with the NACC and other stakeholders as we strive to make North America the safest and best place to live, invest and prosper.

Building on our strong partnership, we recognize the importance of focussing on initiatives that will further competitiveness and quality of life in North America, and will continue to work together to successfully meet the security and prosperity challenges of the 21 st century. We will pursue this work to deliver tangible results and a focussed agenda to the Leaders at their next meeting in August 2007, in Canada.


http://www.commerce.gov/opa/press/Secre ... _stmnt.htm

I won't say no more, this speak for its self.

Sure would like to see how much the US taxpayers are paying for this mess.

Also interesting that it mentions safe, secure borders when Mexico is trying to so hard to keep american borders unsecure and unsafe.

Originally Posted by Beckyal

Sure would like to see how much the US taxpayers are paying for this mess.

Also interesting that it mentions safe, secure borders when Mexico is trying to so hard to keep american borders unsecure and unsafe.

They want a secure border on the north side of Canada (eh) and the south side of Mexico (si). Our border will be erased.