[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

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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

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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,

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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.