Thread: United States Strengthens Ties with Canada, Mexico

23 February 2007

United States Strengthens Ties with Canada, Mexico
Neighbors coming together through Security and Prosperity Partnership

By David McKeeby
USINFO Staff Writer


Washington – Cross-border security threats and efforts to boost trade among the United States, Canada and Mexico were the focus of the February 23 meeting in Ottawa, Canada, of top officials from the three countries under the Security and Prosperity Partnership of North America (SPP).

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, head of the U.S. delegation, joined her Canadian counterpart and host, Foreign Minister Peter MacKay, and Mexico’s Foreign Secretary Patricia Espinosa in a series of discussions that will set the stage for a third SPP meeting with President Bush, Prime Minister Stephen Harper and President Felipe Calderón in Canada later in 2007.

Launched at a March 2005 summit hosted by President Bush in Waco, Texas, the partnership is a forum aimed at helping the three North American neighbors develop common approaches to transnational security threats and to expand economic productivity by streamlining trade among the countries. Leaders from the three countries met again in Cancun, Mexico, in March 2006. (See related article.)

"Today we've talked about things that really matter to the lives of Canadians and Mexicans and Americans," Secretary Rice said at a February 23 joint press conference. "We've talked about how to meet public health problems, how to resolve environmental threats, how to respond to natural disasters, how to secure dependable supplies of clean energy and how to combat criminal organizations."

Canadian Foreign Minister MacKay referred to "this common thread in our discussions as to how we promote greater understanding and greater appreciation for what binds us together, as governments, as citizens, on a shared continent."

Foreign Minister Espinoza of Mexico said the SPP reflected her government's top priorities, which include "the creation of jobs, fighting organized crime, and fighting poverty."

Since terrorism, natural disasters, pandemic flu and other hazards do not respect national boundaries, SPP features a “Security Dialogue” comprising several working groups focused on addressing common transnational threats, developing integrated emergency-response strategies, and facilitating the secure shipment of goods.

Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff joined Rice at the meeting and chaired a trilateral security dialogue with his counterparts from Canada and Mexico.

The United States recently has proposed new requirements for individuals entering the country from Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Central and South America. Although citizens from many of these countries can now enter the United States with basic forms of identification, such as birth certificate and drivers’ licenses, the proposed rule would require individuals to present a valid passport for entry beginning in 2008. (See related article.)

Security experts say the passport requirement is important because other forms of documentation can be easily counterfeited. Critics of the proposed rules say that they discourage cross-border travel and tourism.

Also on February 23, U.S. homeland security officials announced that they support a key modification to the proposed rules allowing Canadian children under 15 years old to continue passing into the United States with parental consent and a birth certificate. This flexibility would be extended to Canadian citizens aged 16-18 if participating in an adult-supervised school, athletic or educational group.

Homeland Security and the State Department, which jointly share responsibility for issues related to border security, also are working together to expedite travel, through a specially designed “Passport Card” – high-tech identification for frequent travelers that would be less expensive and easier to obtain than a passport.

The SPP member countries also are engaged in a “Prosperity Dialogue,” which oversees working groups focused on strengthening economies by harmonizing the countries’ respective business and trade regulations; encouraging cooperation among U.S., Canadian, and Mexican companies; and expanding cooperation on environmental, energy and health issues.

Asked about U.S.-Mexican relations, Secretary Rice said, "When one talks about the issues of immigration, we want very much to see a Mexico in which Mexicans can find work and can take care of their families in Mexico. And so prosperity in Mexico is also something of great interest to the United States."

With a combined gross domestic product of $15 trillion, the three countries are each others’ top trading partners, exchanging goods and services worth nearly $1 trillion a year -- $2.3 billion a day -- according to the U.S. Department of State.

Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez, who chairs the trilateral trade dialogue, also accompanied Rice. He held talks with his Canadian and Mexican counterparts and met with business leaders from the North American Competitiveness Council.

In their concluding joint statement, the ministers declared: "Building on our strong partnership, we recognize the importance of focusing on initiatives that will further competitiveness and quality of life in North America."

More information about the Security and Prosperity Partnership is available from the SPP Web site.

The full text of the Joint Statement by Ministers Responsible for the Security and Prosperity Partnership of North America can be found on the State Department Web site.

For more information on U.S. policy, see Visas and Immigration.

(USINFO is produced by the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)

http://usinfo.state.gov/xarchives/displ ... 958865e-02

Snow job.

More like a blizzard of biblical proportions.

Notice what Rice said: "Today we've talked about things that really matter to the lives of Canadians and Mexicans and Americans."

Yeah, right. You mean what matters most to the Globalists. The rest of us are invisible.