[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 37, Number 36 (Monday, September 10, 2001)]
[Pages 1276-1278]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Joint Statement Between the United States of America and the United 
Mexican States

September 6, 2001

    The three-day State Visit of Mexican President Vicente Fox to the 
United States celebrates the special friendship and authentic 
partnership that has been achieved by new leadership in the United 
States and Mexico.
    This first State Visit of the Bush Administration highlights the 
mutual trust and respect between our two Presidents and governments. It 
also testifies to the unequaled priority both Presidents attach to a 
practical and cooperative approach to the common opportunities and 
challenges we face as the well-being and prosperity of our peoples 
becomes increasingly intertwined in our shared North American community. 
This results-oriented approach, and the commitment to shared 
responsibility and partnership undergirding it, are already generating 
unprecedented levels of cooperation throughout our rich and diverse 
relationship.
    With trade and investment between the United States and Mexico at 
record levels, the Presidents took stock of the success of NAFTA in 
bringing economic growth and development, and with it higher wages, more 
jobs, and lower prices for our citizens. They stressed the need to abide 
by the provisions of our free trade agreement and agreed to the 
importance of vigorous measures to ensure that the full benefits of 
economic development and trade are extended to all regions of Mexico.
    To serve urgent environmental priorities in the border area, the 
Presidents agreed that immediate measures were needed to strengthen the 
performance of the North American Development Bank (NADBank), and its 
sister Border Environmental Cooperation Commission (BECC), to identify 
and fund environmental infrastructure projects on the border. Presidents 
Bush and Fox agreed that a binational working group--which will consult 
with national legislatures, border states, communities, and other 
stakeholders--will develop joint recommendations and report back to the 
Presidents by October 31, 2001.
    The Presidents praised the success of efforts to heighten 
cooperation on legal issues as a major step toward enhancing the rule of 
law and protecting public safety. They highlighted growing cooperation 
against migrant smuggling and other organized transborder crime, 
including a new agreement signed September 5, 2001, on sharing forfeited 
assets seized as a result of joint investigations. They praised in 
particular the growing trust between our law enforcement agencies that 
is making it possible to broaden the scope of cooperation in this area. 
Presidents Bush and Fox also expressed their support for new and more 
effective national and multilateral measures to increase international 
cooperation against drug trafficking. Specifically, they expressed 
support for the Organization of American State's ``Multilateral 
Evaluation Mechanism'' as a promising example of such measures. In this 
regard, President Bush reiterated his Administration's commitment to 
work with the U.S.

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Congress, on a priority basis, to replace the annual counter-narcotics 
certification regime with new measures designed to enhance international 
cooperation in this area.
    These and other areas of bilateral engagement were highlighted in an 
historic joint meeting of the U.S. and Mexican Cabinets on September 5. 
That session enabled the Cabinet-level chairpersons of our Binational 
Commission, streamlined and reinvigorated following the Presidents' 
meeting in Guanajuato, Mexico in February 2001, to report on the 
specific steps achieved since then to strengthen bilateral cooperation.
    Their reports testified to the breadth of our relationship and to 
the progress we are achieving in countless areas that directly benefit 
the quality of life of our people. Examples of other items covered in 
the reports include:
<bullet>    measures to improve safety and protect lives along our 
            shared border;
<bullet>    means of facilitating better coordination on border issues;
<bullet>    a new agreement on food safety;
<bullet>    steps to enhance cooperation on renewable and more efficient 
            energy resources and cross-border interconnections;
<bullet>    a major new scholarship program ($50 million) focused 
            primarily on economic development disciplines; and
<bullet>    regional cooperation to strengthen democracy and prosperity 
            in the Western Hemisphere.
    President Bush and President Fox also had a frank discussion about 
water resources and the importance of living up to our mutual treaty 
obligations in this regard. They agreed that in the future this could be 
well served by greater cooperation aimed at more effective watershed 
management and improved infrastructure, including formation of a joint 
advisory council.
    The Presidents reviewed the progress made by our joint working group 
on migration chaired by Secretaries Powell, Castaneda, and Creel and 
Attorney General Ashcroft and noted this represented the most fruitful 
and frank dialogue we have ever had on a subject so important to both 
nations. They praised implementation of the border safety initiative, 
and recognized that migration-related issues are deeply felt by our 
publics and vital to our prosperity, well-being, and the kind of 
societies we want to build.
    They renewed their commitment to forging new and realistic 
approaches to migration to ensure it is safe, orderly, legal and 
dignified, and agreed on the framework within which this ongoing effort 
is based. This includes: matching willing workers with willing 
employers; serving the social and economic needs of both countries; 
respecting the human dignity of all migrants, regardless of their 
status; recognizing the contribution migrants make to enriching both 
societies; shared responsibility for ensuring migration takes place 
through safe and legal channels. Both stressed their commitment to 
continue our discussions, instructing the high-level working group to 
reach mutually satisfactory results on border safety, a temporary worker 
program and the status of undocumented Mexicans in the United States. 
They requested that the working group provide them proposals with 
respect to these issues as soon as possible. The Presidents recognized 
that this is an extraordinarily challenging area of public policy, and 
that it is critical to address the issue in a timely manner and with 
appropriate thoroughness and depth.
    To help address some of the root causes of migration, they agreed to 
form a public-private alliance to spur private sector growth throughout 
Mexico. This ``Partnership for Prosperity'' initiative will harness the 
power of free markets to boost the social and economic well-being of 
citizens particularly in regions where economic growth has lagged and 
fueled migration. The development of this alliance will be spearheaded 
by senior-level coordinators on both sides, and will draw on the best 
expertise among Mexican and U.S. economists, business people and civil 
society to develop a concrete plan of action to be presented to the 
Presidents not later than March 1, 2002.
    The Presidents expressed their strong support for the launch of a 
new round of trade negotiations in November at the WTO ministerial.
    Both Presidents agreed that U.S.-Mexican relations have entered 
their most promising moment in history. Our governments are

[[Page 1278]]

committed to seizing the opportunities before us in this new atmosphere 
of mutual trust. The depth, quality and candor of our dialogue is 
unprecedented. It reflects the democratic values we share and our 
commitment to move forward boldly as we deepen this authentic 
partnership of neighbors.

Note: An original was not available for verification of the content of 
this joint statement.