[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 43, Number 11 (Monday, March 19, 2007)]
[Pages 336-338]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Joint Statement by the United States of America and Mexico

March 14, 2007

    Mexico and the United States, as proud and sovereign countries, 
today reiterate their conviction that the shared values of democracy, 
transparency, rule of law, and respect for human rights are the solid 
foundation on which the increasingly rich and complex networks that link 
their economies and societies are based.
    Presidents Felipe Calderon and George Bush resolved during their 
first official meeting in Mexico on March 13 and 14, 2007 in

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Merida, Yucatan, to strengthen the partnership between two friendly 
neighbors. They agreed that government to government relations are but 
one small measure of the interaction between our two great countries. 
Our ties are deeper and wider: they are societal, economic, cultural, 
and familial.
    During their meeting, the Presidents reviewed the wide range of 
issues of the bilateral relationship and the cooperation undertaken by 
their governments in order to promote productive and mutually beneficial 
relations between Mexico and the United States. The Presidents 
identified new opportunities to work together in order to improve the 
quality of life of their peoples as well as to make North America the 
most prosperous, secure and competitive region in the world.
    In this vein, the Presidents acknowledged that economic growth and 
job creation are vital to reducing poverty and inequality and improving 
the quality of life. They emphasized the centrality of expanding trade 
between the United States and Mexico as the basis for our shared 
prosperity. They recognized the need for our governments to work 
together to speed and facilitate the secure and ever-expanding movement 
of legitimate goods and people across our shared border, including the 
development of new infrastructure and the more efficient use of existing 
infrastructure, where possible.
    In seeking to enhance North American competitiveness based on the 
twin pillars of security and prosperity, the Presidents also underscored 
their awareness regarding the need to work together to facilitate the 
transition to full free trade in such areas as agricultural products. To 
this end, the Presidents agreed to intensify the discussions within the 
framework of the bilateral working group on corn and dry beans.
    The Presidents recognized the continued threat to both nations posed 
by organized crime and drug trafficking, especially their associated 
violence, which do not respect borders. They underlined that the 
important efforts of the Mexican Government to confront organized crime 
head-on, as one of the most important priorities of its own domestic 
agenda, would benefit from increased support from and cooperation with 
the United States. In this connection, they reiterated their commitment 
to intensify cooperation and information sharing between the law 
enforcement agencies of Mexico and the United States, especially along 
the border region. The Presidents stressed their commitment to increase 
bilateral cooperation to target criminal organizations, fight arms 
trafficking, which fuels the violence of criminal organizations, as well 
as drug trafficking, including methamphetamine and precursor chemicals, 
and illicit financial activities, including bulk currency smuggling 
across our borders.

    The management of the U.S.-Mexican border is a shared 
responsibility. Our common fight against organized crime must be 
accompanied by cooperative actions in other areas which will also 
promote the security, prosperity and well-being of our border 
communities. Improved communication and information-sharing at all 
levels will allow us to continue to transform the border into a region 
of growing and shared prosperity.

    Recognizing that the border region encompasses a remarkable 
diversity in landscape and native species, the Presidents acknowledged 
the need to continue efforts to protect our shared natural resources, 
including air and water, through binational cooperation.

    The Presidents recognized that immigration across our common border 
vitally links both countries, involves shared responsibilities, and 
represents one of the most critical issues for the future well-being of 
both our peoples. In this regard they underscored the need to encourage 
productive investment aimed at creating more and better paid jobs in 
Mexico as an essential component of any comprehensive strategy to 
address this phenomenon and agreed on the need to continue advocating an 
approach to comprehensive immigration reform.

    The Presidents also agreed to explore opportunities for people-to-
people exchanges, especially in education, as a central tool in 
fostering greater understanding between our two countries. In this 
context they stressed that the investment Mexico and the United

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States make in human capital must be considered an essential component 
of their efforts to promote North America's competitiveness and economic 
growth with justice and security for our peoples.
    Finally, Presidents Calderon and Bush reiterated their conviction 
that the future of Mexico and the United States--and of the whole North 
American region--is now, more than ever, a shared future. Our commitment 
to the advancement of democracy, the respect for human rights, the 
promotion of free markets, the rule of law, security, sustainable 
development, and expanding opportunity for all, they underlined, will 
contribute to the consolidation of a prosperous, just, and peaceful 
future for all citizens in the Americas.

Note: The Office of the Press Secretary also released a Spanish language 
transcript of this joint statement. An original was not available for 
verification of the content of this joint statement.