September 3, 2007
Mexican President Meets with Governor of Texas
Presidency of the Republic
August 28 – Mexican President Felipe Calderón met
today with Governor of Texas Rick Perry at the official Los Pinos Residence during his second official visit to Mexico.
During the meeting, President Calderón discussed the
importance of redoubling efforts to permit a legal, safe, orderly flow of migrants that would respect their human rights and
stated that the Mexican population makes a significant contribution to the economic, social, political and cultural life of
the United States.
For his part, Governor Perry expressed his support of
an integral migratory reform. Within this context, President Calderón reminded the Governor of Texas of the importance of
his government’s fully accepting the use of the consular registration issued by Mexican consulates.
The president rejected the construction of a wall on
the border between the two countries. Mr. Perry added that although he firmly advocates improving border security, he has
repeatedly expressed his opposition to the wall since he believes that its construction fails to contribute to achieving this
purpose.
The governor also thanked President Calderón for the
firm policy he has adopted regarding the fight against organized crime and transborder violence.
Governor Perry also stressed the Government of Texas’
gratitude for the support Mexico has provided during the natural disasters the state has suffered in recent years. Apropos
of this, it was decided to promote more and better coordination to cope with the natural phenomena that may affect both sides
of the border.
As a response to President Calderón’s emphasis
on the need to make every possible effort to prevent arms trafficking to Mexico, Governor Perry stressed his agreement on
this point, adding that currently available technology makes it possible to undertake increasingly effective actions in this
area.
The Governor of Texas informed the Mexican president
of the efforts his government is making to develop alternative energy sources, particularly wind power.
The two men agreed on the importance of promoting the
development of existing infrastructure on the border and reviewed the state of the main initiatives underway regarding transborder
crossings. They paid particular attention to the need to promote the establishment of new rail crossings on the Texas border.
The Mexican president and the Governor of Texas agreed
on the need to increase coordination, facilitate the flow of goods and persons across the border, and ensure the dynamism
of the commercial relationship between Mexico and Texas, which has performed extremely well in recent years.
During the meeting, President Calderón was accompanied
by Secretary of Foreign Affairs, Patricia Espinosa; Secretary of Communications and Transport, Luis Telléz; Under-Secretary
for North America, Carlos Rico; and Mexican Consul-General in Austin, Rosalba Ojeda. Also present at the meeting was US Ambassador
in Mexico Antonio O. Garza.
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(Press Release: Presidency of
the Republic, August 29, 2007, Mexico City)
– Presidency of the Republic translation
