[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1997, Book II)]
[November 14, 1997]
[Pages 1562-1564]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]


[[Page 1562]]


Declaration of President Clinton and President Zedillo
November 14, 1997

    We met to carry forward the mature partnership between our two 
governments, marked by mutual respect, to review progress on the work 
program launched at our last meeting in Mexico City in May, and to 
continue our personal contacts in order to spur further cooperation on 
issues of vital importance to our citizens.
    Since our meeting six months ago:
    We have concluded negotiations in the Organization of 
            American States of an hemispheric convention against illegal 
            firearms trafficking, originally proposed by Mexico and 
            strongly endorsed by the two of us at our meeting in Mexico 
            City last May.
    We have concluded a Protocol to our Extradition Treaty, 
            which will permit temporary extradition to allow cross 
            border criminals to be tried in both jurisdictions while the 
            evidence is still fresh. We exchanged instruments of 
            ratification of our Maritime Boundary Treaty, thereby taking 
            an important step to fully demarcate our common maritime 
            border.
    We have concluded a Memorandum of Intent on Environmental 
            Commercial Cooperation.
    The team of researchers commissioned by our two governments 
            has completed its binational study on migration, and 
            submitted its report.
    The High Level Contact Group submitted to us an Executive 
            Summary of the Joint Counternarcotics Strategy which we 
            mandated in our bilateral Alliance Against Drugs.
    Under the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) trade 
            between our two countries continues to expand, enriching our 
            societies and employing an ever-larger number of our 
            workers. Thus, since we last met, Mexico has become the 
            United States' second largest market, while the United 
            States remains Mexico's largest market.
    Looking to the future, we agreed to work together in the 
international negotiations on climate change. Our governments will 
promote the growth of electronic commerce and development of the 
Internet. We confirm our commitment to the goals of our bilateral 
Alliance Against Drugs, and to the development of measures through which 
we can appraise our efforts in our common fight. We will work to expand 
hemisphere-wide counternarcotics cooperation and to strengthen the 
Organization of American States' capacity to support this priority task. 
We will promote the preparatory work and successful conclusion of the 
special session of the UN General Assembly to enhance global cooperation 
against illicit drugs.
    We have achieved progress in the implementation of our May 6 Joint 
Declaration on Migration:
    We have agreed on appropriate procedures at the border and 
            inside the US for the orderly and safe repatriation of 
            Mexican nationals with full regard for their dignity and 
            human rights and the principle of family unity.
    We have enhanced the capacities of the eight liaison 
            mechanisms at border cities to promote protection of 
            migrants and safety along our common border.
    We have taken actions between Mexican Consuls and 
            Immigration and Naturalization Service Directors to improve 
            consular protection in pursuance of the agreements signed by 
            both governments.
    We agreed to a new cooperative agenda which will explore and 
            respond to the linkage between migration and development in 
            both countries.
    We instructed our officials to work with the conclusions of 
            our binational study on migration to involve communities on 
            both sides of the border in a consultative process designed 
            to produce innovative approaches to common challenges and 
            opportunities for development to our mutual benefit, and to 
            report back to us within a year.
    Finally, we call on the academic communities of both 
            countries to join us in this effort.
    On the border, we will continue to work toward a new vision of 
cooperation in this dynamic and challenging region, in order to make it 
safer, more promising for families and communities

[[Page 1563]]

and enriching for both countries. Through the identification of model-
projects in the areas of public safety, environmental protection, urban 
infrastructure, and cultural life, we endeavor to promote economic, 
social, and cultural development for the benefit of our communities. 
Among others, we welcomed projects such as the one currently taking 
place in the San Diego/Tijuana area for the comprehensive management of 
solid waste; and initiatives for the facilitation of border crossings, 
like the upcoming construction of the Rio Grande bridge at Eagle Pass/
Piedras Negras.
    On drug control, we reiterated our commitment to the goals of our 
bilateral Alliance Against Drugs, to the development of concrete 
measures by which we can determine if our common efforts against drugs 
are succeeding, and to their full implementation in full respect for the 
sovereignty and territorial jurisdiction of both nations. We also agreed 
on the need to further bolster efforts to reduce the demand for illicit 
drugs, as part of a comprehensive approach to anti-narcotics 
cooperation. We acknowledged Mexico's efforts on eradication, 
interdiction and combating criminal organizations. We agreed on the need 
for effective action against drug corruption on both sides of border, 
for the development of closer law enforcement cooperation, and to ensure 
the safety of law enforcement officers of both countries, along with 
safeguards for shared information.
    We have arranged for a conference of demand control experts from our 
two countries in March to determine how we can most effectively share 
our expertise and pool our resources, particularly in the area around 
the border.
    Antinarcotics maritime and air cooperation and coordination, with 
full respect for each others jurisdiction, have led to an increase in 
drug seizures at sea and an increase in the amount of drugs seized by 
Mexican authorities in Mexican territory. Training of the personnel 
required for specialized anti-drug law enforcement units has continued 
apace and we have brought pressure on the major drug trafficking 
organizations.
    On macroeconomic issues, we agreed that Mexico's strong reforms 
since 1995--backed by U.S. and international support--have helped to 
restore financial strength and put the Mexican economy in healthy 
condition. We discussed Mexico's economic and financial situation in 
light of recent turbulence in emerging markets and acknowledged that 
continued strong policies will help preserve and expand these 
accomplishments.
    Trade between our two countries has continued to increase, promoting 
high growth and generating additional jobs in both countries. As a 
natural consequence of this dynamic trading relationship, issues of 
concern in several sectors have arisen, which we discussed and on which 
we instructed our officials to continue to seek resolution. We also 
reaffirmed our commitment to continue our cooperation in labor and the 
environment.
    We agreed that the Internet represents an important new tool for 
expanding commerce, promoting education, research and development and 
enhancing the delivery of social services, particularly in remote areas. 
We will consult domestically and explore in the appropriate 
international fora key issues related to the promotion of a legal and 
commercial environment in which this medium can flourish, encouraging 
our private sector to lead in its development. We instructed our experts 
to meet to carry out this pledge.
    On environment, we confirmed agreement to promote sustainable 
development in the border area and to seek the support of our border 
communities and the private sector in reaching the goals of Border XXI. 
We also confirmed agreement on indicators to assess and advance progress 
on water, solid and hazardous waste, air and natural resources along the 
border. We welcomed steps taken by the Border Environmental Cooperation 
Commission (BECC) and by the North American Development Bank (NADBank) 
to address the need for new wastewater treatment facilities in Tijuana 
and Ciudad Juarez.
    On climate change, we agreed that developed countries like the 
United States must lead by reducing emissions and developing countries 
like Mexico should be willing to participate in an appropriate global 
regime. We affirmed our support for joint implementation as a means for 
using market mechanisms to promote private sector initiatives and 
investments in clean energy, energy efficiency and reforestation. 
Countries should take on responsibilities under the climate treaty that 
are appropriate to their level of development and fully consistent with 
sustainable economic growth and development. We reaffirmed our support 
for the Framework Convention on Climate Change and the principle

[[Page 1564]]

of common but differentiated responsibility. We have instructed our 
representatives to consult closely on this issue as we approach the 
Kyoto conference.
    On hemispheric and multilateral issues, we highlighted the 
importance of education in the agenda of the Summit of the Americas. We 
welcomed our negotiators' success in achieving a hemispheric firearms 
trafficking convention and pledged to support its early ratification. We 
expressed our support for restraint and transparency in arms transfers. 
We also agreed to work together to promote hemispheric cooperation in 
law enforcement and anti-corruption efforts.
    We discussed the importance of new multilateral initiatives in 
counternarcotics including multilateral assessment of progress achieved 
by all hemispheric countries toward meeting their respective national 
goals. We are convinced that illicit drugs represent a worldwide problem 
which requires international cooperation and that each nation assumes 
fully its own responsibility. Therefore, we pledged to work together to 
ensure the success of the United Nations' Special Session on Illicit 
Drugs in June, 1998. We commended the work done by both governments in 
the fulfillment of our commitments and instructed our officials to 
increase their efforts in the achievement of our common goals.
    We are convinced that two neighbors and partners, like the United 
States and Mexico, can address even the most complex issues through 
mutual respect, constructive dialog and cooperation.