[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2007, Book I)]
[March 14, 2007]
[Pages 307-314]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]
The President's News Conference With President Felipe de Jesus Calderon
Hinojosa in Merida
March 14, 2007
President Calderon. Good morning, Mr. President, dear friends from
the media. I thank you for being here in this press conference. I would
like to thank very sincerely President George Bush for visiting our
country and for dedicating almost 3 days to his visit in Mexico.
I am very pleased to inform you that President George Bush and
myself, we're fully satisfied for how fruitful this meeting has been for
both countries. As leaders of sovereign nations, we have talked in a
respectful environment and a cordial environment about very diverse and
complex issues of our bilateral agenda. We coincided in sharing our core
responsibility, which now, more than ever, happened to be a shared
responsibility. We reiterate our commitment with democracy, with the
defense and respect of human rights, the promotion of free trade, with
the rule of law, security, sustainable development and, in particular,
our fight against poverty.
From this platform of understanding, we have covered in detail each
of the issues of our bilateral agenda. I would like to express my
gratitude to President Bush that we have talked so openly, with the
sincerity and respect of both countries that are not only neighbors, but
they are pursuing to do what true friends should do.
We have talked, for example, about the strengthening of a task force
that will be directed to the transition of full trade of sensitive
products such as corn and beans. We talked about the need to cover the
phenomenon of migration as a factor of prosperity for both nations,
orderly migration process. And we acknowledged the effort that President
Bush and his administration is doing in order to promote within the
Congress a comprehensive migratory reform that will acknowledge the
rights of the migrants and workers, that would allow orderly and legal
programs for temporary jobs, and would allow the reunification of family
ties.
We have expressed our concern for protecting and guaranteeing human
rights of those who cross the border and, above all, about the enormous
relevance of generating in Mexico opportunities that the citizens need
for their development.
We shared the need of having a safe border that will close the gates
to drugs, arms, and terrorism and that will open its doors to trade,
prosperity and trade. Our border should be a tightening and closing
point; the border should bring us together and not separate us. For
this, we are considering the possibility of establishing new cross
points and border bridges that will speed up the transit of goods and
people. Both Presidents have agreed to coordinate in a better way our
actions in order to confront organized crime in both sides of the
border.
Mexico and the United States are nations that are joined together in
the pursuit for better levels of well-being for its people. We do have
the means, and, in this meeting, we have seen the political will in
order to reach shared goals. I'm fully convinced, then, from this visit
on, we will be able to start a new stage of the relationships that take
place between Mexico and the United States.
President Bush. Senor Presidente, gracias. Buenos dias. Laura and I have had a fascinating trip, and our final stop
was a really good one, Mr. President. Glad to be back in Mexico. This is
an especially beautiful part of your wonderful country. The hospitality
was very generous, and the meals were quite good. [Laughter] Estoy
lleno. [Laughter]
Over the past 2 days, the President and I have had a very--a series
of friendly and
[[Page 308]]
very productive meetings. That's what the people of our respective
countries expect. They expect people to work out differences in a
constructive way. They expect leaders to seize opportunities for the
benefit of our respective peoples. And the spirit is very strong to work
together.
I appreciate so very much the fact that during our meetings, we
reaffirmed the values of democracy and transparency and rule of law that
guide both our countries. We discussed ways to make our Nation safer,
both nations safer and both nations prosperous.
President Calderon is taking a tough stand against organized crime
and drugs, and I appreciate that. I made it very clear to the President
that I recognize the United States has a responsibility in the fight
against drugs. And one major responsibility is to encourage people to
use less drugs. When there is demand, there is supply. And to the
extent, Mr. President, that we can continue to make progress to reduce
drugs, it will take pressure off of Mexico. So we have a responsibility.
Mexico has a responsibility as well, and the President is working
hard on that responsibility. And we agreed to work together. Mexico is
obviously a sovereign nation, and the President, if he so chooses, like
he has, will lay out an agenda where the United States can be a
constructive partner.
And the other place where we can work together is in the region. And
so the President, who is a very strong leader in Central America, for
example, will work with the United States and the Central American
countries to develop a regional plan, because it could be successful in
Mexico, and yet the problem could be transferred to the south, in which
case we wouldn't have the security we would want. So, Mr. President,
thank you for your leadership on this issue. I'm looking forward to
working with you on it.
We talked about the economy. My view is, is that when Mexico grows,
the United States benefits. And obviously, to the extent, Mr. President,
you're able to put forth your innovative policies, we applaud your
efforts. I appreciate so very much some of the innovative ideas that
you're putting forward. As I said last night in the dinner, I appreciate
very much the fact that you're focusing development in the south of your
country.
Obviously, there was a lot of discussion about trade. People in my
country are concerned about trade; people in Mexico are concerned about
trade. There are strong protectionist sentiments in the United States.
And I will work, Mr. President, to reject those protectionist
sentiments, because I believe trade is one of the best avenues to help
common prosperity. And anytime we have trade relations, there will be
complications. And I pledged to the President that we would work
together to ensure a smooth transition to full trade in dealing with
sensitive issues such as corn and beans.
Education is an important issue that is--for our two countries. And
I appreciate your commitment to strong education. The United States can
help. I'm a big believer in student exchanges between our two nations,
on both sides of the border. And one reason I am, is because I think
it's important, sometimes, for people to gain an accurate perception of
my country by coming to my country. I love for the fact that students
travel back and forth.
Mr. President, this morning I met with some students that are funded
through USAID programs, who have come to the United States to take
different courses in different subjects, and then have come back to
Mexico to lend the expertise that they have gained to improve the
communities in which they live. This is a vital program that the United
States must continue, in my judgment, in order to help people realize
the great benefits of education.
We spent a lot of time on the important and sensitive issue of
migration. I say ``sensitive'' because obviously this is an issue
[[Page 309]]
that people can use to inflame passions. I say ``important'' because a
good migration law will help both economies and will help the security
of both countries. And the reason I say that is that if people can come
into our country, for example, on a temporary basis to work, doing jobs
Americans aren't doing, they won't have to sneak across the border.
And by the way, a system that encourages people to sneak across the
border is a system that leads to human rights abuses. It's a system that
promotes coyotes and document forgers. It's a system that allows for the
exploitation of citizens who are trying to earn a living for their
families.
And so, Mr. President, as we discussed, I will work with Congress,
with members of both political parties, to pass immigration law that
will enable us to respect the rule of law and, at the same time, respect
humanity in a way that upholds the values of the United States of
America.
I appreciate your hospitality. It's been a very warm greeting, Mr.
President. I thank you and your good wife for being so kind to Laura and me. I look forward to future conversations. Muchas
gracias.
President Calderon. Gracias, el Presidente. We will have a Q&A
session now, starting with the Mexican press.
Mexico-U.S. Relations/Mexico's Foreign Policy
Q. Good morning, President of the United States of America,
President of the United Mexico States.
President Bush. Perdoname.
Q. Good morning. Your visit is coming to an end now--this is a
question for President George Bush: At the end of your visit, sir, have
you found allies in order to place a counterweight to the initiatives of
Hugo Chavez? What commitments did Felipe Calderon take on in order to be
a counterweight to these initiatives of Hugo Chavez, on the one hand?
And on the other hand, President Felipe Calderon, Foreign Minister
Patricia has said that you are working in order to strengthen the
relationship with Venezuela. How is this compatible with the commitments
that you're taking on with President Bush in order to give thrust to
this counterweight in Latin America concerning Hugo Chavez?
President Bush. Thank you for the question. We spent a lot of time
talking about Mexico's role in the world. Mexico is a respected nation;
President Calderon is a respected leader. But our conversations focused
on democracy and rule of law and prosperity and how to improve the lives
of our fellow citizens. We spent time talking about social justice and
concern for the poor.
One of the reasons I've come down here again is to remind people in
this important part of the world that the United States cares deeply
about the human condition; that we spent 1.6 billion of bilateral aid
last year, most of the money going to social justice programs. And that
doesn't include programs like the one I saw in the highlands of
Guatemala, where our military was providing basic health care for
citizens.
So, Mr. President and I spent time talking about how to advance a
hopeful agenda, one that will lift the spirits of people. And I respect
the role Mexico plays. I mean, Mexico will lead diplomatic efforts for
the common security and common prosperity, and that's an important role.
President Calderon. The commitment and purpose of my Government is
to have constructive, positive, and sound relations with all countries
of the world and, of course, with the countries of Latin America,
without exception. And certainly the more--the most important
relationship with Mexico abroad is the one that we have with the United
States, due to the migration that exists, the flows through the borders,
and all else that you are well aware of.
However, Mexico is respectful of the opinions of other leaders. We
are respectful of the heads of states of other countries,
[[Page 310]]
such as Venezuela and certainly the United States. We are a government
that has principles and values, values such as democracy, freedom,
liberty, and legality and certainly security and safety.
On the other hand, not as a strategy--this was not something that we
focused on as a strategy in our talks, but as a conviction of our
government. Mexico has to play a role which is balanced, weighed, and it
has to be a leader in Latin America, in agreement with its culture, its
history, its economy, its people.
We are deeply Latin American, and we, too, want justice,
development, democracy for all of Latin America. That is where we are
engaged, and we are committed. We certainly do agree and coincide with
other countries, many countries, of course, who coincide and agree with
those principles.
Department of Justice
Q. Mr. President, thank you. The Attorney General acknowledged
yesterday that in a statement made by----
President Bush. Hold on, Roger [Roger Runningen, Bloomberg News].
The world wants to hear your voice.
Q. Thank you. The Attorney General acknowledged yesterday that there
were mistakes in the firing of prosecutors. What is his future in your
cabinet? Do you have confidence in him? And more importantly--or just as
important--how effective can he be in Congress going forward when he's
lost a lot of confidence among Democrats and doesn't have any defenders
among Republicans?
President Bush. I do have confidence in Attorney General Al
Gonzales. I talked to him this morning,
and we talked about his need to go up to Capitol Hill and make it very
clear to members in both political parties why the Justice Department
made the decisions it made, making very clear about the facts. And he's
right: Mistakes were made. And I'm frankly not happy about them, because
there is a lot of confusion over what really has been a customary
practice by the Presidents: U.S. attorneys and others serve at the
pleasure of the President. Past administrations have removed U.S.
attorneys; it's their right to do so.
The Justice Department recommended a list of U.S. attorneys. I
believe the reasons why were entirely appropriate. And yet this issue
was mishandled to the point now where you're asking me questions about
it in Mexico, which is fine. I mean, if I were you, I'd ask the same
question. This is an issue that--and so
Al--let me just say, Al was right; mistakes were made; and he's going to
go up to Capitol Hill to correct them.
I appreciate the fact that he's
taken some action, because anytime anybody goes up to Capitol Hill,
they've got to make sure they fully understand the facts and how they
characterize the issue to Members of Congress. And the fact that both
Republicans and Democrats feel like that there was not straightforward
communication troubles me, and it troubles the Attorney General, so he
took action. And he needs to continue to take action.
Immigration Reform/President Calderon's Meeting With Former President
Vicente Fox of Mexico
Q. Good morning to both Presidents. President Bush, I ask you, why
do Mexicans want to--why would you think that Mexicans could believe in
a reform in migration when for so many years, this was not a possibility
nor reality? And what are your chances of coming through with this bill
in Congress? And President Calderon, you had lunch with President Fox.
Can you tell us what you talked about?
President Bush. They talked about carne. [Laughter] Excuse me. I
wasn't there. [Laughter]
No, that's a legitimate question, and the question is, why now? Why
do I think something positive can happen? Well, first of all, the
legislative process takes awhile
[[Page 311]]
in the United States. I don't know about Mexico, Mr. President, but
sometimes legislators, you know, debate issues for awhile before a
solution can be achieved.
And we had a very--by the way, we haven't had a serious debate on
migration until recently. A law was passed in 1986, and then there
really wasn't a serious debate until pretty much starting after the year
2000, if my memory serves me well. I've always known this is an
important issue because I happened to have been the Governor of Texas.
And so I'm very comfortable about discussing the issue and have elevated
the issue over the past years. And Members of Congress have taken the
issue very seriously, but it's hard to get legislation out of the
Congress on a very complex issue.
A lot of Americans were deeply concerned that the United States was
not enforcing our laws. They felt like there wasn't a commitment to the
rule of law. Over the past year, I believe we have shown the American
people that there is a strong commitment to the rule of law. And I think
Members of Congress are now feeling more comfortable that the country is
committed to rule of law, which then makes some more openminded to my
argument, which is that if we can have migration reform, it will make it
less likely somebody will feel like they have to sneak across our
border, and, therefore, take pressure off the border. In other words,
security for the country, border security, will be enhanced by a good
migration law, and then it will make it easier for us to focus our
assets on drugs, terrorists, criminals, and guns moving both ways.
I believe--I feel pretty good about it. I don't want to predict
legislative successes. But I can tell you my mood, and my mood is
optimistic because the mood in the Congress seems like it has changed
from skepticism last year to knowledge that getting a comprehensive bill
will be in the Nation's interests.
Secondly, I'm optimistic because Republicans in the Senate are
working with Democrats in the Senate. We're facilitating that work. The
administration is very much involved with helping the Senators find
common ground, to the point where we can move a bill as quickly as
possible out of the Senate so it gets to the House of Representatives.
I'm not a betting man. I don't like to bet, because when I do, I
usually lose. But I'm an optimistic man, in this case, about getting
comprehensive reform, and a bill is in the interests of both countries.
President Calderon. I met with former President Vicente Fox, whom I
like, and we have a good friendship. We belong to the same party. I
invited him to lunch; we talked for quite a while, talked about matters
in a very constructive fashion. And he congratulated us for the work
that we've done during these first 100 days. He also said that he had
the will to collaborate and cooperate in a respectful fashion with the
government for the benefit of Mexicans.
I have also met with other former Presidents, and I'm sure that I
will continue to meet with President Fox in the future throughout my
administration.
President Bush. Here it comes.
Department of Justice
Q. Thank you, Mr. President, President Calderon. On the dismissal of
U.S. attorneys: There have been allegations that political motivations
were involved. Is political loyalty to your administration an
appropriate factor? And when you talked to Attorney General Alberto
Gonzales last year, what did you say? And what did you direct him to do?
President Bush. Thanks, Kelly [Kelly O'Donnell, NBC News]. I've
heard those allegations about political decisionmaking; it's just not
true. Secondly, just so you know, I get asked--I mean, I get complaints
all the time from Members of Congress on a variety of subjects--this
Senator, this Congressperson so-and-so--and there's
[[Page 312]]
occasionally frustration with the executive branch. And they will pull
me aside and say, ``Are you aware of this? Are you aware of that?'' And
I did receive complaints about U.S. attorneys.
I specifically remember one time I went up to the Senate, and
Senators were talking about the U.S. attorneys. I don't remember
specific names being mentioned, but I did say to Al last year--you're right, last fall, I said, ``Have you
heard complaints about AGs? I have''--I mean, U.S. attorneys, excuse
me--and he said, ``I have.'' But I never brought up a specific case nor
gave him specific instructions.
Q. Sir, might he have inferred that you discussed it with him--was a
need for him to take action?
President Bush. You're going to have to ask Al that question, but as I say, I discuss with my Cabinet
officials complaints I hear. I mean, when Members of the Senate come up
and say to me, ``I've got a complaint,'' I think it's entirely
appropriate and necessary for me to pass those complaints on. Now, I
don't every single time, but people view their moment with the
President, sometimes, as an opportunity to unload their frustrations
about how things may be working in their State--or Congresspersons, how
things may be working in their district. And whether it be the Attorney
General or the Secretary of State or other
members of my Cabinet, I pass those complaints on at times.
What Al did was, and what the
Justice Department did was appropriate--U.S. attorneys serve at the
pleasure of the President. In other words, they're appointed by the
President; they can be removed by the President. What was mishandled was
the explanation of the cases to the Congress. And Al has got work to do
up there. And the thing I appreciate about the Attorney General was, he
said publicly that he could have handled it better--mistakes were made--
and took action. And obviously, more action needs to be taken. That's
what I discussed with him on the phone today.
Energy/Trade
Q. Good morning. President Calderon, concerning energy matters, 3
days before the celebration of the anniversary of the expropriation of
oil in our country, could you tell us what the position of the Senators
of opposition have stated about these matters of oil? We know that the
reserves and, of course this oil abundance, perhaps, is coming to its
end. Was this issue on oil discussed here?
And, President Bush, 2008 will welcome the opening up of livestock
and agriculture matters. Sir, is there a possibility of renegotiating
or, perhaps, leave it for a later date this negotiation of this part of
the trade agreement because of the complaints of Mexican producers?
President Calderon. The truth of the matter is that we did not
discuss this issue of oil, because this is something that has to do
specifically with Mexicans. This is a Mexican issue. We will not
privatize a company that belongs to Mexicans, such as of the case of
Pemex. We will have to see this later on, in terms of sovereignty, and
speak about the initiatives, of course, and to see what our Congress
states. We do have problems with the decline of, especially, Cantarell,
which has been very important in the production of oil throughout the
years, but which is declining in amounts. But we will have to be very
clear on the fact that we will be sharing responsibility between
Congress and the President.
Concerning agriculture and livestock, I do share the sensitivity of
our working group and President Bush. We have set up a working group to
deal with the matters of corn and bean, precisely to make more agile
this transition, which is established at the end of the free trade
agreement, NAFTA.
We do have different problems now today, different from what it was
1 year ago, when we see that the prices of corn are going down. We are
having very high costs in our production. This has left our
[[Page 313]]
producers out of competition. And now we are seeing what consumption is
all about with these very high prices, in the case of corn.
However, due to the circumstance we have had in this meeting, we
strengthened and we will be strengthening even more a group, a working
group, which will address these issues, which are very sensitive for
Mexican producers.
President Bush. No, no. Excuse me, Tony. One
reason I didn't bring up energy is because energy is--it belongs to
sovereign Mexico. And I'm confident that the President will make the
best interests for the people of Mexico, working with the Congress.
In terms of opening up NAFTA, renegotiating NAFTA is a mistake, in
my judgment. NAFTA has worked. And there is a mechanism in place, that
the President just described, about how to resolve sensitive issues.
There will be sensitive issues on a frequent basis when it comes to
trade. And the best way to resolve those is through negotiations and
discussions, recognizing the sensitivities on both sides of the border.
But trying to renegotiate a treaty that has been incredibly important
for both sides of the border, in my judgment, would be a mistake. You
don't want to weaken NAFTA; you want to make sure it stays strong in
order that prosperity continues to expand and people benefit on both
sides of the border.
Immigration Reform/Immigrant Life in the United States
Q. Thank you. President Bush, you said the other day that you want
to first--on immigration, want to first find a coherent Republican
position in the Senate. Most Senate Republicans voted against last
year's bill in the Senate. What changes are you willing to make? And
would you be willing to forgo a path to citizenship as part of that
bill? And, President Calderon, it's been reported you have relatives
working in the United States. What have you learned from their
experiences? Do you know, do they want to become citizens? And do you
know, are they there legally? [Laughter]
President Bush. What was your question again? No. [Laughter] Michael
Chertoff and Carlos Gutierrez are negotiating with Republicans, helping
Republicans find common ground, Steve [Stephen Dinan, Washington Times],
and this isn't the appropriate place to be conducting negotiations.
It is the appropriate place to talk about the spirit of moving the
bill forward. And obviously, we would like to be able to convince no-
voters that it makes sense to be for a comprehensive immigration policy.
I feel strongly that it's in our interests, national interests, to get a
bill done. That's why, after all, I took--I gave the address to the
United States from the Oval Office on this very subject.
And you asked about amnesty--look, amnesty is not going to fly.
There is not going to be automatic citizenship; it just won't work.
People in the United States don't support that, and neither do I; nor
will kicking people out of the United States work. It's not practical.
It is not a realistic solution. Some may articulate that, but it's empty
talk. And so therefore, there's got to be a middle ground, a reasonable
way to deal with the 12 million or so people that have been in our
country for a period of time. And that's where a lot of the discussions
are taking place, Steve. And I think we can find a rational way forward,
somewhere in between automatic citizenship and kicking people out of the
country. It's in our interests we do so. I mean, we are a nation of law,
and therefore, if we can change the law for the better, we ought to do
so.
And so, Mr. President, back to the man's question over there--I'm
optimistic. And--but he helped--his question was somewhat insightful--
well, very insightful--because what he pointed out was the legislative
challenges that we face. He also made it clear in his question that the
administration is very much involved with working with
[[Page 314]]
Republican Senators to help find common ground between Republican
Senators and Senator Kennedy, who is
emerging as the lead Senator on the Democrat side.
I will tell you, if we can find that common ground, we have a very
good chance of getting the bill out of the Senate, because Senator
Kennedy is one of the best legislative
Senators there is. He can get the job done. I know firsthand, because we
reformed our education system, Mr. President, with his help in 2001. Not
to slip in another issue, but we do need to get No Child Left Behind
reauthorized, and I'm looking forward to working with Senator Kennedy on
the reauthorization.
President Calderon. Yes, I do have family in the United States, and
what I can tell you is that these are people who work and respect that
country. They pay their taxes to the government. These are people who
work in the field; they work with--in the fields with vegetables. They
probably handle that which you eat--the lettuce, et cetera. These are
people who respect the United States. These are people who have
children, who want these children to be educated with respect for the
land where they live and with respect for Mexico.
I am from Michoacan, and in Michoacan, we have 4 million people--2
million of these Michoacanos are in the States. We want them to come
back; we want them to find jobs here in Mexico. We miss them. These are
our best people. These are bold people--they're young, they're strong,
they're talented, they have overcome tremendous adversity--who are
working so that they can come back to their country someday.
And I'm saying this for all Mexicans, not only those Mexicans that I
am related to by blood, by land, soil, air. And I want to say that I am
fighting so that instead of having our people cross the border to find
work, we want investments to cross the border and come over here.
The U.S. economy is capital intensive. We are labor intensive. We
can give democracy to our people if we find sound basis so that we could
also find those factors which can give jobs to our people. I have said
this, and I will continue to say this: I hope--and I've hoped--that
someday, everybody will believe as I do. I believe in work. I believe
that I will see all of these people coming back, and embrace them
knowing that, well, that we live in countries that defend liberty and
freedom.
Note: The President's news conference began at 10:04 a.m. at the Fiesta
Americana Merida. In his remarks, he referred to Margarita Esther Zavala
Gomez del Campo, wife of President Calderon. A reporter referred to
President Hugo Chavez Frias of Venezuela; and Secretary of Foreign
Relations Patricia Espinosa Cantellano of Mexico. President Calderon and
some reporters spoke in Spanish, and their remarks were translated by an
interpreter. The Office of the Press Secretary also released a Spanish
language transcript of these remarks.