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By Antonio O. Garza, Jr.
U.S. Ambassador to Mexico
Published in Spanish by Reforma
“We have a great opportunity before us. By working together, we can achieve a fully democratic hemisphere, bound together by good will, cultural understanding, and free trade.” President Bush made this remark at the White House last month during Hispanic Heritage celebrations. It signals his positive view of our relationship with our hemispheric neighbors. And, as President Bush has repeatedly said, the most important of those is our relationship with Mexico and the institutions that are driving us toward convergence.
Next week we’ll mark the 20th meeting of the U.S.-Mexico Binational Commission (BNC), a mechanism for regular exchanges at the Cabinet level. We’ve seen remarkable progress in the scope and quality of our relationship with Mexico. The BNC process deserves a lot of the credit. Under Presidents Bush and Fox, there is a desire to aggressively address shared problems and challenges, collaborating to build a better, more prosperous future for both countries. The BNC is an example of this collaboration, a venue to work on shared objectives, and an opportunity to showcase achievements.
Our strong relationship goes far beyond the friendship of our two Presidents; it is based on the hard work of many institutions that range from educational and cultural to economics and trade. This broad range of institutional partnering is represented by the working groups of the Binational Commission. These groups, in contact throughout the year, review our progress in bilateral activities on foreign policy, migration, homeland security and border affairs, law enforcement and counter-narcotics, trade and economics, energy, science and technology, education and culture, environment, natural resources, labor, health, housing, and transportation.
Immigration is definitely on the agenda at the BNC, and has never left the President’s agenda. So many people ask about immigration – when will the two countries pick up the issue again after is was supposedly derailed after September 11? While the terrorist attacks did change things, both Presidents Bush and Fox always remained committed to working on immigration issues. September 11 required us to slow down, get a better understanding of who was coming into our country, who was staying in our country, who was leaving our country.
Prior to September 11, 2001, President Bush said that, “we both recognize how important the contribution to our economy the Mexican workers have made; that we want people treated with respect; that we both have a mutual and shared responsibility to make sure our border is safe, and that we enforce the border.” This statement is still true today.
We recognize that the Hispanic population in the United States carries both political and economic power. In September of this year, the President said that, “the strong ties that Hispanic Americans maintain with their ancestral homeland remind us that the United States must pursue robust relations with its trading partners in Latin America and the Caribbean. The future of our hemisphere is closely tied to these relationships, and improving trade will play a vital role in building important links with our neighbors.”
Opening trade creates job opportunities and promotes economic growth, thereby improving the welfare of every citizen in every land it touches. It is indisputable that NAFTA has strengthened sectors of Mexico’s economy and empowered Mexican consumers, just as it has also brought benefits on the U.S. side of the border. It is also clear that the Partnership for Prosperity is extending the benefits of NAFTA. Launched by Presidents Bush and Fox in 2001, the Partnership has encouraged private investment and brought development to many of Mexico’s rural areas.
However, business and governmental institutions are not the only beneficiaries of our strong collaboration. We see tremendous growth in new institutional relationships across the board. University partnerships are expanding rapidly and cultural exchange is more vibrant than ever. Examples of this exchange are the Maya exhibit opening at the National Gallery in Washington this spring and the Aztec exhibit that will be at the Guggenheim in New York this fall.
The BNC, NAFTA, the Partnership for Prosperity, cultural and educational exchange…. What does all this mean for Mexico and the United States? Convergence. Our two societies will continue to grow more integrated as these institutional connections do their work. The markets, both human and capital, illustrate best the convergence in our two societies.
Soon after the BNC, Mexico will host the January Special Summit of the Americas in Monterrey. Mexico has shown itself to be a world leader – playing host over the past year alone to APEC, the WTO, the Hemispheric Security Conference, as well as the January summit. As Mexico moves further into this role, our friendship with Mexico is getting stronger and our convergence more assured.
Good friends in a mature relationship know what is most important to them and to their friendship. It is, therefore, appropriate that the United States and Mexico are always looking at how we can improve our relationship. We will continue our close and productive dialogue in the months and years ahead as we take full advantage of the great opportunities before our two nations.
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