Bush to Meet with Canadian, Mexican Officials

PresidentBush plans to meet with the leaders of Mexico and Canada at the end of themonth in the Mexican resort city of Cancún to discuss a wide range of pressingeconomic and security issues.

Detailsof the March 30-31 summit are still being worked out with the host, MexicanPresident Vicente Fox. But U.S. administration officials, speaking on thecondition of anonymity ahead of a formal announcement, said the forum isexpected to be the first opportunity for Mr. Bush to meet with the new Canadianprime minister, Stephen Harper.

Mr.Harper, a member of the Conservative Party, took office last month, promisingbetter relations with the Bush administration than his liberal predecessor,Paul Martin.

Amongother issues, the two countries have a running trade dispute over softwoodlumber and lingering hard feelings over the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq.

ForMr. Fox, who’s finishing a six-year term, the summit will probably be his lasttrilateral gathering as president.

Thelast one was hosted nearly a year ago by Mr. Bush at Baylor University in Wacoand at his ranch near Crawford.

Mr.Fox and Mr. Bush conferred by telephone two weeks ago about immigration andother border issues, particularly the increase in border violence.

WhiteHouse press secretary Scott McClellan said the two leaders also discussed theSecurity and Prosperity Partnership among the United States, Mexico and Canada.

Underthat initiative outlined last year at the Texas summit, the three countries,which are joined in the North American Free Trade Agreement, pledged to developa common security strategy and promote “economic growth andcompetitiveness and quality of life.”

The leaders are expected to review progress onthe initiative at Cancún, fine-tune it and make new recommendations on how bestto proceed.

Source:Dallas Morning News, Mar. 6, 2006

bh