October 22, 2007
Mexican President
Mentions Migrant and State Funding at Governors’ Conference
Presidency of the
Republic
(President Felipe Calderón, Manzanillo, Colima,
Mexico; speech excerpts)
“For my administration, the governors’ support
has been crucial for the actions undertaken in the struggle against the lack of safety on the streets, as well as in the reforms
we have undertaken in order to deal with the challenges of fighting poverty and inequality.
“I would like to inform you that thanks to the fact
that Congress agreed that all the funds obtained through consular fees should be allocated to consular protection work in
2007, (a measure we are proposing to repeat in 2008), the Foreign Relations Secretariat now has 830 million pesos [US$76.8
million] for the defense of the rights of Mexicans abroad.
“At the same time, thanks to additional income that
will be generated by the Fiscal Reform for those with the least, it will also be possible to advance on various fundamental
issues.
“In short, today I can safely say that the states are
the main winners with respect to tax reform. It is estimated that as a result of this reform, by 2008 we will have $127 billion
extra pesos [US$11.8 billion], over $45 billion [US$4.2 billion] of which will be directly channeled to the states.
“It is essential to recover citizens’ trust in
the police so that they will be able to cooperate with them in the prevention and denunciation of crimes. Therefore, the three
orders of government can and should join forces in order to adopt a new model in our police organizations.
“I thank you again for your support of the changes
my government is proposing for the benefit of Mexicans, and I urge you to continue advancing in this direction. There are
many challenges, but I am sure that by working in a jointly responsible manner we will be able to construct the safe, fair
[and] prosperous Mexico we long for and that future generations of Mexicans deserve.”
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(National Conference of Governors, October 19, 2007; Presidency
of the Republic, Mexico City)
Translation: Presidency of the Republic