[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 43, Number 11 (Monday, March 19, 2007)]
[Pages 324-326]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Remarks at a Welcoming Ceremony in Temozon Sur, Mexico

March 13, 2007

    President Felipe de Jesus Calderon Hinojosa of Mexico. Your 
Excellency, Mr. George W. Bush, President of United States of America, 
Mrs. Laura Bush, and distinguished members of the staff accompanying 
President Bush, I hope you are all welcome to Mexico. We're very pleased 
with your visit because it reflects your interest upon our country, and 
it allows us to dialog about our complex bilateral agenda.
    For many reasons, the relationship with the United States of America 
is a most important relationship for Mexico, but also the relationship 
with Mexico is a most important relationship for the United States of 
America. This is what you have expressed, Mr. President, in a meeting 
like this one when you expressed some years ago that there is no 
relationship all over the world that is most relevant to the United 
States than that one that you have with Mexico. Unfortunately, the 
terrible happenings against the United States' people made that in a 
very understandable way, the priorities changed. Nevertheless, I believe 
that it is now time to retake the spirit of those words and to direct 
our relationship toward a path of mutual prosperity. We are countries 
and friends as people with our prospective place and a shared future 
that I am certain that we can reach for mutual benefit.
    I come originally from the State of Michoacan, one of the States 
that has endured tremendously with migration. And I know the pain of the 
families when they split and also of all those towns where the elderly 
are remaining alone. I also know that Mexicans lose in each migrant the 
best of our people--young people, working people, and audacious people, 
strong people--people that leave Mexico because they do not find the 
opportunities here in order to pull through with their lives. This is 
which we want to generate jobs for Mexicans here in Mexico, because that 
is the only way in order to truly solve the migratory issue.
    That is a solution that is convenient for all of us, and as a 
result, we should commonly

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resolve it, because while we have two economies that complement each 
other, but yet are not equal. One is intensive in labor, and the other 
one is intensive in capital. So therefore, migration might not be 
stopped, and certainly not by decree. This is why we are intensively 
working, so instead that our labor will be moving to where the capital 
is located. It will rather, receive in Mexico the investment where the 
labor is located, and our families will not continue splitting 
themselves nor our population. Mexicans will all due fully respect the 
right that of the Government and the people of the United States of 
America has to decide within its territory what will be best for their 
concerns and security.
    But at the same time, we do consider in a respectful way that we may 
truly stop the migration by building a kilometer of highway in Michoacan 
or Zacatecas than 10 kilometers of walls in the border. This is why we 
wish to respect the rights of everyone, more so of our population. This 
is why we recognize and support the effort that you are conducting, Mr. 
President Bush, in order to promote a comprehensive migratory reform in 
the Congress of the United States, and we wish you the best of 
successes. This is why we also would like to continue working together, 
and now with tremendous emphasis in order to accelerate the development 
of our people, because I am certain that there is nothing better for the 
security and prosperity of our region than the prosperity of Mexico.
    On the other hand, we share the intention of keeping a safe border, 
because those who live on both sides of the border deserve so, being 
American or Mexican. The government does the part that it has to do; it 
gets back all the public plazas and the streets from criminals and 
drugs. We have accredited with facts our firm commitment in our battle 
against those who wish to poison the bodies and the souls of our young 
population. But in order to be successful in our struggle, we need the 
collaboration and the active participation of our neighbor, knowing that 
while we will not reduce the demand for drugs in a certain area, it will 
be very difficult to reduce the supply in ours.
    Mr. President, I have no doubt that together our Governments will 
move forward in the generation of new opportunities of well-being and 
prosperity for our nations. Please feel very, very welcome to Mexico.
    President Bush. Buenos dias. Estamos encantados de estar en Mexico 
otra vez.
    Mr. President and Mrs. Zavala, thank you for your warm welcome. 
We're delighted to be back in your country. As Governor of Texas, I 
visited your beautiful country many times, and I came to know and admire 
the people of Mexico. As President, I've worked to strengthen the ties 
between our two Nations. Mexico was the first country I visited after I 
became President of the United States. The United States and Mexico are 
partners. We're partners in building a safer, more democratic, and more 
prosperous hemisphere. And a strong relationship between our countries 
is based upon mutual trust and mutual respect.
    President Calderon, I appreciate your determination to create new 
opportunities for the people of Mexico. I share your commitment to 
building an Americas where the poor and the marginalized begin to feel 
the blessings of liberty in their daily lives. I respect your views on 
migration. Because we're working together, I believe we will make good 
progress on this important issue. Together, we're working to ensure that 
we have a secure and modern border that speeds the legitimate flow of 
people and commerce and stop those who threaten our common safety and 
prosperity.
    The United States respects rule of law. But in the debate on 
migration, I remind my fellow citizens that family values do not stop at 
the Rio Grande River, that there are decent, hard-working, honorable 
citizens of Mexico who want to make a living for their families. And so, 
Mr. President, my pledge to you and your Government--but, more 
importantly, the people of Mexico--is I will work as hard as I possibly 
can to pass comprehensive immigration reform.
    We support your plans to improve education and health care and 
housing for all your citizens. We will continue to work with you to 
expand opportunities for trade and investment. We will work together to 
facilitate a smooth transition to full trade, especially

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on sensitive issues like corn and beans. We recognize that the best hope 
to lift millions out of poverty is to spread prosperity through free and 
fair trade. The people of the United States understand that when we help 
our neighbors build a better life for themselves, we advance peace and 
prosperity for all of us.
    Today, the most important ties between the United States and Mexico 
are not government to government; they are people to people. These ties 
include churches and faith-based institutions that serve people on both 
sides of the frontera. These ties include our colleges and universities, 
which run important exchange programs for students and teachers. These 
ties include our businesses, which trade one another--trade with one 
another and invest in each other's countries. And these ties include the 
families, who send an estimated $20 billion in remittances each year to 
their relatives here in Mexico, one of the largest private economic 
initiatives in the world. These ties are vital, and they are growing.
    Mr. President, geography has made our countries neighbors, but the 
choice we've made for each other is a choice for freedom. And that 
choice has made us friends. I'm honored to be in your country. I'm 
looking forward to our discussions over the next 2 days. You have set a 
very ambitious agenda that is going to require a lot of hard work. But 
I'm confident that by working together, we'll build a better life and a 
future of hope for our peoples.
    Thank you for having me. God bless.

Note: The President spoke at 9:04 a.m. at Hacienda Temozon. In his 
remarks, he referred to Margarita Esther Zavala Gomez del Campo, wife of 
President Calderon. President Calderon spoke in Spanish, and his remarks 
were translated by an interpreter. The Office of the Press Secretary 
also released a Spanish language transcript of these remarks.