[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George H. W. Bush (1992, Book I)]
[July 14, 1992]
[Pages 1115-1117]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]



The President's News Conference With President Carlos Salinas of Mexico 
in San Diego, California

July 14, 1992
    President Bush. President Salinas and I had a very good discussion. 
I think it was extremely constructive. We talked about the status of 
negotiation among our two countries and Canada to create this North 
American free trade area, NAFTA. We reaffirmed our commitment to 
reaching this sound NAFTA agreement just as soon as possible. Let me 
just say a word about the importance of this historic undertaking.
    We live in a global economy. The fastest growing sector of the 
American economy is our export sector. And Mexico is the fastest growing 
market for U.S. exports in the entire world. Over the last 5 years, U.S. 
merchandise exports to Mexico have increased an average of 17 percent 
per year, twice as fast as U.S. exports worldwide. And

[[Page 1116]]

we've added some 400,000 new jobs to our economy just as a result. And 
now, over 600,000 U.S. jobs are built on our trade with Mexico. 
California alone, this State alone, exported $5.5 billion in goods to 
Mexico last year. And virtually every State has shared in that growth, 
not just States on the border. Michigan, Illinois, Ohio, New York, and 
Pennsylvania are among the top 10 exporters to Mexico along with 
California, Texas, and Arizona.
    By building together the largest free trading region in the world, 
Mexico, the United States, and Canada are working to ensure that the 
future will bring increased prosperity, trade, and new jobs for the 
citizens of each of our countries. And because our trade ministers and 
their teams have made impressive progress in recent weeks, we agreed 
that our meeting today marks the beginning of the final stage of 
negotiations. A fitting analogy: We're in the ninth inning. In the 
spirit of this evening's All-Star Game, we are literally entering the 
top of the ninth. President Salinas and I have instructed our trade 
ministers to meet on July 25th to bring this final stage of negotiations 
to an early and successful conclusion. And we've consulted with our 
friend Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney, and he has similarly 
instructed his trade minister.
    We also agreed on the importance of pressing ahead with parallel 
efforts to ensure that the NAFTA enhances environmental quality and that 
labor issues are addressed effectively.
    Mr. President, it's been a joy to see you again, sir, and thank you 
for coming back to the United States. The floor is yours.
    President Salinas. We had a lot of issues on the agenda: trade, 
North American free trade agreement, the award rendered by the Supreme 
Court of Justice recently, the environment, fisheries, border crossings, 
amongst others. The dialog was open, frank, direct, respectful, a dialog 
which was held on the issues that have brought in certain tension in our 
relation and also on the issues that might enable us to have more 
beneficial relations for both nations.
    Mr. President Bush, I'm very grateful for your hospitality.
    President Bush. The President and I agreed we'd each take two 
questions. Then we want to get over to the ball game. And why don't we 
alternate them between--why don't we start right here.

Trade Negotiations

[At this point, a reporter asked a question in Spanish, and a 
translation was not provided.]

    President Bush. Well, I'm embarrassed to say I don't have any late 
details on that. Financial institutions participating in Mexico have 
been on the agenda, and there have been discussions of that, but I don't 
get a feeling that that will be a stumbling block to any agreement.

Alvarez-Machain Case

[At this point, a reporter asked a question in Spanish, and a 
translation was not provided.]

    President Bush. Is that addressed to me? Yes, that matter was 
discussed. The Supreme Court decrees the law of the land in our country. 
I know it's caused great hardship and great concern south of our border. 
I made very clear to President Salinas that we have no intention of 
doing anything of that nature again. I also repeated the heinous nature 
of the crime, and I'm sure the people of Mexico feel just as strongly as 
we do here about it.
    So what we're trying to do is work this matter out in a way that 
will salve the understandable concern that President Salinas very 
frankly brought home to me. He told me this is a serious matter. He is a 
very frank man; that's one reason I have such respect for him. So we are 
going to try to resolve this, to lay every fear to rest, and I tried to 
do that with a very open letter, a letter that I wrote from the heart to 
the President. But yes, we had very frank discussions about it.
    Q. President Bush, could you give us----
    President Bush. We were going to just take two each, Randall 
[Randall Pinkston, CBS News]. But I'll come back to you. But we need two 
for President Salinas; then I'll take Randall. And then we're going to 
the ball game.

[At this point, a question was asked and answered in Spanish, and a 
translation was

[[Page 1117]]

not provided.]

    President Bush. Randall?

Unauthorized Campaign Organization

    Q. President Bush, a two-parter, sir. Beyond filing a complaint with 
the FEC, what else can you do to stop Floyd Brown? And how do you 
respond to the family of Susan Coleman who believes that you have the 
power to stop him and his organization and their so-called dirty 
campaign tactics?
    President Bush. The problem is we don't have the power. We will do 
whatever we can to stop any filthy campaign tactics. We have spoken out 
against it. We have written the contributors. Our record is clean on it, 
and for anyone to suggest differently is insidious. But we will do 
everything we can that's in the law to see that this man does not use my 
name in raising funds for these nefarious purposes. I've said it over 
and over again, and I'll keep saying it. And we're trying to file with 
the FEC or whatever else we can do. But the law is fairly complicated on 
this. We went through this once before with this person, and we're going 
to do whatever we can to stop it.
    Q. Is a lawsuit possible, sir, beyond the FEC complaint?
    President Bush. I don't know what--lawyers are talking about it now, 
and I think we've gone into the FEC to try to condemn it. But whether 
that has to be the first step, Randall, I'm sorry, I just rely on our 
lawyers to tell me that when I get back.

Trade Negotiations

[At this point, a question was asked and answered in Spanish, and a 
translation was not provided.]

    President Bush. With your permission, may I add to that? The 
question, for those North American reporters who do not speak Spanish, 
related to the timing of NAFTA. And I concur with what President Salinas 
has said, but I would simply add for the gentleman that asked the 
question, not in an effort to slow things down but put things in 
perspective, to those that say you just haven't gone quick enough, the 
Canadian agreement with the United States took 39 months to negotiate. 
And we've been working this problem for 27.
    Now, please do not take that as kind of a ``Ho-hum, that gives us 12 
more months.'' That's not the way we're looking at it. But I do think 
it's important to put it in perspective. We want to get it done as quick 
as possible. And I will repeat here what I told Mexico's distinguished 
President, and that is there is no American politics on my side, our 
administration's side, that suggests anything other than the promptest 
possible conclusion of a deal. And there isn't any politics. For those 
who, in the American scene, say, ``Well, you shouldn't do it for 
politics,'' they're wrong. It is in the interest of the United States of 
America to conclude this deal tomorrow if we can get it done.
    But I just wanted to add the dates, the time, so neither the Mexican 
negotiators nor the United States negotiators will be castigated by our 
silence on this. They're working hard. We've urged them to just go right 
down to the wire now as soon as possible. I gave you the dates in my 
statement. But I do think we need to look at it in perspective. Having 
said that, I want it done and done soon.
    Thank you all very, very much.

                    Note: President Bush's 135th news conference began 
                        at 4:10 p.m. in the California Room at the San 
                        Diego Mission. President Salinas spoke in 
                        Spanish, and his remarks were translated by an 
                        interpreter. During the news conference, 
                        President Bush referred to Floyd Brown, 
                        chairman, Presidential Victory Committee.