[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 40, Number 3 (Monday, January 19, 2004)]
[Pages 54-60]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
The President's News Conference With President Vicente Fox of Mexico in 
Monterrey, Mexico

January 12, 2004

    President Fox. Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. President Bush, 
welcome to

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Mexico, and welcome to Monterrey. We receive you with great enthusiasm, 
the way we are receiving the leaders of the countries of America. We 
have great expectations in order to work in this extraordinary Summit of 
the Americas.
    In order to know each other better--all of us leaders that have 
responsibilities in America--it's best to analyze extraordinary matters 
that have been brought about in the last few years, since the last 
meeting of the Americas. While checking and making a revision on these 
matters, we can give broad solutions to the problems--economic and 
poverty problems in a great part of the continent; perhaps solutions to 
the problems of human capital, social capital in our respective 
countries; and likewise deal, as we have been doing in every single 
meeting, the safety and security matters, going deep inside the problems 
of corruption, making sure that in our countries, democracy should be 
there and the state of law should be there. So this meeting will enable 
us to give steps forward in all these multilateral topics.
    Likewise, we have had a bilateral meeting--and I will mention this 
later on, a couple of matters, important matters in reference to this 
bilateral conversation. First of all, relating to the migration topic, 
President Bush has given us in full detail and has told us once again 
the proposal made in the United States for the migration matters and the 
policy that should be checked upon that--that topic. It's a sovereign 
matter of the United States.
    Consequently, this migration proposal is analyzed according to the 
different conversations that President Bush and President Fox, myself, 
even when he was a Governor in the State of Texas and I was a Governor 
in the State of Guanajuato. Since that time, we have been touching upon 
this subject, and we did that in the first meeting in Rancho San 
Cristobal in the State of Guanajuato. We did it once again, and we spoke 
about migration. We have been doing this in each one of the different 
meetings.
    So I would like to give full acknowledgement that part of the 
conversations, a great part of the conversations have been collected and 
analyzed. But this is a proposal made by the President of the United 
States. We totally agree and are aware that the proposal should be 
discussed, broadly discussed, analyzed, particularly in the Congress of 
the United States. Consequently, we should give full time so that the 
idea--well, the idea should mature, and it should definitely be 
approved.
    So for us in Mexico, this is a very important step forward on what 
has to do with the relationship between the two countries, on what has 
to do with the migration flow. It is a topic with a great priority for 
our countries, for both countries. This proposal opens an opportunity to 
have a certain movement, a certain situation, important for many 
millions of Mexicans. It is a priority. It is a valuable proposal, and 
by all means, it will have to do with the improvement of the situation 
of these migrants, but it will have to do as well with the strengthening 
of our respective economies--that on the one hand.
    On the other, the topic that we have been dealing with is the 
initiative of North America, by means of which both Governments want to 
work with very specific objectives, so as to create a greater economic 
growth, increase productivity and competitiveness within the region 
through the reduction of costs, and facilitating trade flows, promoting 
development of common markets in different specific sectors. And it has 
as an objective to establish a security regional framework protecting 
Mexico, the United States, and Canada from terrorism.
    Several tables, working tables, analyze the normalization of 
different standards within the market in automobiles, food, agriculture 
products, construction materials, and consumption goods. Likewise, 
there's a table that has to do with trade and services. Another one is 
working on energy; another one in scientific and technological 
cooperation; another one, regional cooperation on trade and investment. 
Consequently, it is a great effort so as to achieve the objectives that 
I just mentioned.
    President Bush, once again, thank you for visiting us. Thank you for 
being here. This summit, this meeting, will allow us to be near the 
different Presidents, the different leaders

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of Latin America, the Caribbean area, Central America, and by all means 
North America. And it will be for the good of this continent in the 
future. Thank you.
    President Bush. Thank you, Mr. President. Laura and I are--really 
appreciate your hospitality. We want to thank you and Marta for being 
our friends. I remember well our visit to your ranch. And to this end, 
we would like to extend an invitation to both you and the First Lady of 
Mexico to visit our ranch on March the 5th and 6th. I hope you can 
find--I hope it's a convenient date for you on your calendar because 
we'd love to--we'd love to have you there.
    The bonds of friendship and shared values between our two nations 
are strong. We have worked together to overcome many mutual challenges, 
and that work is yielding results. Today, Mexico is America's second 
largest trading partner, and we are Mexico's largest. Every day, 
thousands of Americans and Mexicans cross the border in both directions 
for reason of commerce and tourism. And many Americans settle--many 
Mexicans settle in America, bringing with them optimism and a strong 
desire to succeed. They come to fulfill their dreams, and in the process 
they enrich our Nation.
    Last week, I proposed a new temporary-worker program that will help 
further the cause of safe, legal, and orderly migration. This temporary-
worker program will match willing foreign workers with willing American 
employers when no Americans can be found to fill the jobs. Under this 
program, undocumented workers currently in the United States will be 
able to come out of the shadows and establish legal identities. All 
participants in the program will be issued a temporary-worker card that 
will allow them to travel back and forth between their home and the 
United States without fear of being denied reentry into our country.
    This plan is not amnesty, placing undocumented workers on the 
automatic path of citizenship. I oppose amnesty because it encourages 
the violation of our laws and perpetuates illegal immigration. My 
proposal expects that most temporary workers will eventually return 
permanently to their home countries when the period of work that I will 
be negotiating with the Congress has expired. And I think it's important 
to give financial incentives to those workers in order for them to make 
the decision to return home permanently.
    I'll work with President Fox and other leaders on a plan to give 
temporary workers credit in their home countries' retirement systems for 
the time they worked in the United States. I support making it easier 
for temporary workers to contribute a portion of their earnings to tax-
preferred savings accounts, money they can collect as they return to 
their native countries.
    Under this program, the United States will benefit from the honest 
labor of foreign workers. Our neighbors will benefit as productive 
citizens return home with money to invest and to spend in their own 
nation's economy. This program will be more humane, humane to workers, 
and will live up to the highest ideals of our nations.
    While my Nation benefits from the dreams that newcomers bring to 
America, I believe that people should be better able to achieve their 
dreams at their own home. The best way in the long term to reduce the 
pressures that create illegal immigration is to expand economic 
opportunity in countries at both ends of an immigrant's journey. This is 
why President Fox and I are committed to free and fair trade. We've seen 
it lift both our nations and our economies. Since 1994, trade between 
our two countries has grown from $100 billion to $232 billion. We will 
continue to work together and with Canada to enhance North American 
prosperity and security.
    We're also working to reduce the cost of sending money home to 
families and local communities. These remittances exceed $10 billion per 
year. But the cost of such transfers reduces the amount of money that 
hardworking people can return to their families. Our two countries have 
made it a priority to keep hard-earned money in the hands of those who 
need it most. In recent years, our efforts under our U.S.-Mexico 
Partnership for Prosperity Initiative have reduced the cost of 
remittances by almost 60 percent.
    Two years ago, in this city, world leaders agreed on a vision to 
expand opportunity and spread prosperity throughout the hemisphere. With 
this year's Special Summit, we continue to put that vision into action.

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Through the Inter-American Development Bank, we are expanding access to 
credit for small-business entrepreneurs, the key engines of growth and 
job creation for any nation's economy. We're helping nations improve 
their legal systems to protect property rights so that owners can use 
their property as collateral to finance the purchase of a home or to 
start a business. We're investing in the health and education of our 
peoples, and we're intensifying our common fight against corruption.
    President Fox and I will also continue our efforts to support 
democracy in the region. We will work with the Organization of American 
States to ensure the integrity of the Presidential recall and referendum 
process underway in Venezuela. And as part of our effort to protect the 
institutions of democracy in Bolivia, we will cochair the initial 
meeting of the Bolivia Support Group in Washington this coming Friday.
    Our bilateral relationship is strong. This summit's agenda is full. 
The United States will continue to work with our friends in the 
neighborhood in a spirit of common purpose and mutual respect.
    Thank you, Mr. President.

Temporary-Worker Program/Airport Security

    Q. Question for both of you. President Fox, once more on migrating 
matters, what else did the Mexican Government propose? What else can we 
expect for the Mexican workers? Can we aspire the same treatment of the 
Canadian ones without any approaches? What are the purposes in reference 
to migrants? Does this have election purposes? And will the United 
States avoid violating the human rights in our airports? What is the 
question, and the question is addressed for both Presidents. Thank you.
    President Fox. First of all, I would like to say, what else can we 
wish? What we want is the plan presented by President Bush. We hope that 
the plan has a happy ending, through the political process that should 
be followed within the United States so that it can be approved in the 
Congress of the United States.
    I would say that this is what we want. The plan, as it was mentioned 
before, is a very important step forward for many Mexican workers in the 
United States. Those that have the direct benefit of this will recognize 
and acknowledge this proposal that has a great importance for them. Not 
only--not only because they can see that their labor rights and their 
human rights are completely respected there but there is a human face on 
this proposal, a human face that has to do with the families of these 
workers. Consequently, for us it is a plan that meets the demands and 
its measures. And our will should be to support the plan to be achieved 
and go on.
    In reference to safety matters on the airports and the flights, that 
is a sovereign decision in Mexico to implement these safety and security 
programs within the airports and within the Mexican airlines. So we are 
not violating any human right of any sort of citizen. What we're doing 
is paying special attention so as to avoid terrorist acts, violent acts 
within the Mexican territory or within the Mexican airlines.
    And in this same approach, we mention that there's no direct 
intervention of no official personnel, policemen, agents--direct 
intervention, direct participation in operations that have to do with 
the assurance of this task within the Mexican airports or within the 
Mexican airlines. What we do have is a participation and an exchange 
with the personnel, the liaison personnel, the link personnel for 
security. We exchange information so as to do our work much better.
    We reject any other sort of information, different information that 
has been brought about that in these activities--well, we can state that 
only Mexican personnel participates, agents of the airlines or agents of 
security here in Mexico. Thus, there is no intervention in the direct 
operation of any other official agent from abroad. It is the liaison 
officers, the link offices; we exchange information the way we agreed 
upon with President Bush since the beginning of our conversations in 
Rancho San Cristobal.
    And we have a mutual trust--that's the way we started--so that the 
security and safety institutions would trust each other, they could have 
an exchange of information, and they could be very, very efficient in 
their work. Never, never before had we reached efficiency level fighting 
organized crime,

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guaranteeing the security and safety of the different passengers, 
stopping, let's say, loads of drug, drug trafficking the way we have 
been achieving this in the last few years, based upon mutual trust and 
based on this coordinated work between the two parts.
    President Bush. Mr. President, I appreciate your wonderful 
cooperation that we've achieved between our two countries. You've just 
articulated that level of cooperation in a way that I don't think I ever 
could. So that's my answer to the second question you asked.
    My answer to the first question you asked is that I proposed this 
change in immigration law because I think it is the right thing to do. 
It recognizes the reality of our country. The President and I talked 
about whether or not--the ramifications of this initiative to Mexico. 
But the migration policy applies to all foreign workers. But the truth 
of the matter is, the vast majority of foreign workers in America are 
from Mexico. We know that in Texas very well. And I repeat to you that 
this is--these workers are a benefit to my country. These are hard-
working, decent, honorable people that are in our country because--to 
fill jobs that others won't take, on the one hand, and also to make a 
living, to put money--to get money and to send money back to their 
families. There is a deep human desire for a mother or a father to 
provide for his or her family. And that's how I view the motivations of 
good, decent Mexican citizens working in our country.
    And it seems like to me, it makes sense to have laws that treat 
people with respect. We are a country of law. Rule of law is important 
in America. And therefore, we ought to not have a system that is based 
upon a undocumented underclass but a system that is based upon law.
    And so I--you said something about politics--yes, there's politics 
involved. But the reason I made--and there will be politics probably 
involved in whether or not it passes Congress. But the reason I proposed 
the initiative is because it is the right thing for America to do.

Iraq

    Q. Thank you, Mr. President, President Fox. My question is about 
Iraq. The death toll in Iraq, the American death toll, is approaching 
500. I wonder whether you have any reservations now about whether that 
toll is worth it to achieve your objectives in Iraq and the Middle East.
    President Fox, you had a disagreement with the President going into 
the war. I wonder whether you aired that out during your meeting just 
now, whether you now see eye-to-eye on postwar Iraq. Thank you.
    President Bush. A democratic, free Iraq is in the national interests 
of our country. A free country in the midst of the Middle East will make 
America more secure and, matter of fact, make any country more secure. 
And the decision I made was a tough decision.
    We've had discussions prior to the decision and after the decision. 
Vicente Fox is a good enough friend for him to be able to express his 
opinion to me without the loss of friendship, and he didn't agree with 
the decision I made. But the decision I made was the right one for 
America, and history will prove it's the right one for the world. And we 
will stay the course until the job is done.
    And the job is getting done. Iraq is more free every day. The 
citizens are beginning--the lives of the citizens are improving every 
day. And one thing is for certain, there won't be any more mass graves 
and torture rooms and rape rooms. The tyrant will no longer come back to 
threaten the Iraqi people. These people will be able to live in--these 
Iraqi citizens will not only be able to live in a free society; they'll 
be able to live in a society that is free from one of the most brutal 
dictators in the world's history.
    President Fox. As a democratic nation, to meet the challenge of 
terrorism, to make sure that terrorism is eradicated from the face of 
this world--that's our challenge today, and that's what we work on. It 
is why we congratulate the U.S. Government that they withheld Saddam 
Hussein, and he will be taken to trial, to judgment. We fully support 
that, and we congratulate President Bush and the United States for that 
very important accomplishment, which is for the better of all nations, 
all families, all people in the world that would want to live in peace 
without terrorism.

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Free Trade Agreements

    Q. Good afternoon. My question is addressed for both Presidents, if 
you can really talk about a free trade agreement--[inaudible]--North 
America, between Mexico, United States, and Canada, in the midst of all 
the problems of commercial exchange such as transportation, food, 
agricultural sector. Second question: Can you achieve a free trade 
agreement of the Americas with the opposition of many countries such as 
Brazil and Venezuela?
    President Fox. Well, in the case of a Free Trade Agreement of North 
America, we have clearly pointed out many a time that it has been 
successful for Mexico. We are very much satisfied with what has been 
achieved in the last 10 years. Mexico is the ninth economy in the world. 
It has enabled Mexico to have the size of the seventh power for exports 
in the world and a per capita income going beyond, let's say, $6,000, 
the highest in Latin America. These are things that have been brought 
about because of this relation that has been established. And we have 
worked upon that for 10 years.
    I read a report of the ILO about Latin America and unemployment and 
wages and salaries of the different workers. And Mexico has the best, 
let's say, rate on unemployment in Latin America, improving the 
situation, improving the actual wages of the workers in Latin America--
the only one in Latin America. And by all means, this is coming from the 
free trade agreements. Consequently, we are satisfied with the free 
trade agreement, and it should continue operating and working with 
success.
    On a parallel basis, we have thought about the Initiative of North 
America to thrust and develop our economies much more, achieving 
competitiveness and productivity, generating jobs and quality of life in 
our respective countries. It is a parallel, an additional pathway.
    And as President Bush already mentioned in reference to the 
Association for Prosperity--the document known as Partnership For 
Prosperity, that's the name of the document--it has many--[inaudible]--
we work day by day so as to thrust and improve the document. So we're 
giving steps forward in this direction--that on the one hand.
    On the other, as a consequence of this, Mexico is a passionate 
promoter of the free trade agreements in the Americas. We are totally in 
favor of the free trade agreement for the American Continent, by all 
means. And we're working in favor and working actively so that it will 
be achieved as soon as possible. We received with great satisfaction the 
results of the last meeting in Miami, Florida, where the agreement is to 
continue building this free trade agreement so as to have it ready on 
the foreseen dates that we thought about. So we are working 
enthusiastically in this field.
    By all means, we do not only want a free trade agreement, but we 
want a very good free trade agreement, an agreement with quality and 
that has to do with trade that would take development to the less 
developed countries, the poorest countries in our continent, that could 
take development to the different regions where there's greater poverty 
in our continent. And that is the fundamental purpose of this agreement.
    Trade promotes development, undoubtedly. Trade undoubtedly promotes 
the reduction of poverty. And trade and relations amongst countries 
promote human capital. So we are absolutely in favor of trusting and 
supporting this agreement.
    President Bush. It's helped America; it's helped Mexico; it's helped 
Canada. I think we need to move the process forward--the President and I 
discussed that earlier today--with the North American Initiative.
    The President is absolutely right. The best way to eradicate poverty 
is to encourage trade between nations. Trade gives people hope and 
provides opportunity. Obviously, that must be coupled with 
anticorruption measures, like the President has done here in Mexico. It 
must be coupled with good education measures. At this meeting, we're 
going to talk about ways to get capital into the hands of the 
entrepreneurial classes of respective countries. But without trade, 
there's going to be--it's going to be hard for some people to find 
opportunity.
    And so I hope those who have expressed some opposition about the 
free trade agreement of the Americas, look at the facts. And the fact is 
that NAFTA has lifted lives and ended poverty in some parts of our--in 
our

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neighborhood. And to this end, the United States will not only push for 
the free trade agreement of the Americas; we will continue trade 
agreements with countries like Chile--we just concluded one with Chile--
but with the Central American countries, Andean countries. We believe in 
trade. We believe it's in the interest of the neighborhood that we trade 
freely.

Paul O'Neill

    Q. Thank you, President Fox. President Bush, is it true, as your 
former Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill says, that you started planning 
for the invasion of Iraq within days of your inauguration? Do you feel 
betrayed? And should he have released those documents?
    President Bush. First, let me say I appreciate former Secretary 
O'Neill's service to our country. We worked together during some 
difficult times. We worked together when the country was in recession, 
and now we're coming out of recession, which is positive news. We worked 
together when America was attacked on September the 11th, which changed 
how I viewed the world. September the 11th made me realize that America 
was no longer protected by oceans and we had to take threats very 
seriously, no matter where they may be materializing.
    And no, the stated policy of my administration towards Saddam 
Hussein was very clear. Like the previous administration, we were for 
regime change. And in the initial stages of the administration, as you 
might remember, we were dealing with Desert Badger or fly-overs and fly-
betweens and looks, and so we were fashioning policy along those lines. 
And then, all of a sudden, September the 11th hit. And as the President 
of the United States, my most solemn obligation is to protect the 
security of the American people. That's my--to me that's the most solemn 
thing an American President or any President must do. And I took that 
duty very seriously.
    And as you know, not only did we deal with the Taliban, we gave--
working through the United Nations and working through international 
community, we made it clear that Saddam Hussein should disarm. And like 
he had done with a lot of previous resolutions, he ignored the world's 
demands. And now he's no longer in power, and the world is better for 
it. The Iraqi people are better for it; America is better for it; Mexico 
is better for it. The world is more peaceful as a result of Saddam 
Hussein not being in power.
    And the task at hand, Mr. President--and he and I--he knows this 
fully well--is to make sure that the aspirations of the Iraqi people are 
allowed to flourish. And we'll get there. It's a tough task right now. 
It's hard work, but we've done hard work in the past. And a free Iraq is 
going to be in the world's interest.
    Thank you very much.
    President Fox. Thank you, Mr. President. Good afternoon.

Note: The President's news conference began at 2:12 p.m. at the Quinta 
Real Hotel. President Fox and some reporters spoke in Spanish, and their 
remarks were translated by an interpreter. In his remarks, President 
Bush referred to Marta Sahagun de Fox, wife of President Fox; and former 
President Saddam Hussein of Iraq. The Office of the Press Secretary also 
released a Spanish language transcript of these remarks.