Pubdate: Sun, 18 Feb 2001
Source: Salt Lake Tribune (UT)
Copyright: 2001 The Salt Lake Tribune
Contact:  143 S Main, Salt Lake City UT 84111
Fax: (801)257-8950
Website: http://www.sltrib.com/
Forum: http://www.sltrib.com/tribtalk/
Author: James F. Smith

MEXICO CITY -- President Vicente Fox said Saturday that he has won a pledge 
from President Bush to work toward legalizing some of the millions of 
Mexicans employed illegally in the United States.

Speaking on his weekly radio program, Fox expressed delight with the two 
presidents' meeting Friday, saying it opened a path to increased 
cooperation on issues ranging from migration to drug trafficking and energy.

Disclosing the first details of the migration talks, Fox said: "The 
commitment of President Bush and our commitment is to seek that all those 
Mexicans who are there without documents or illegally be considered legal 
workers."

That would mean the workers could receive Social Security and other 
benefits and could travel back and forth from Mexico freely, not sneak 
across the border.

"This is marvelous. Never has a possibility like this been spoken of 
before," Fox said.

Mexican media, however, criticized Bush for undermining the meeting at 
Fox's ranch in Guanajuato state by sending U.S. warplanes to bomb Iraqi air 
defense sites on the same day and thus stealing the summit's thunder.

Fox played down the timing and declined comment on the bombing.

The two men agreed to meet every six months to discuss the multitude of 
thorny problems the two countries share, including migration, drug 
trafficking and trade, Fox said.

The Mexican president also said he expects the current U.S. policy of 
unilateral certification of Mexico's commitment to fight the drug trade to 
be replaced by a new, joint approach involving cooperation at the highest 
level.

In the past, U.S.-Mexican efforts to stop traffickers have been constrained 
by American suspicions of corruption in Mexican law enforcement agencies. 
Bush said Friday that he trusted Fox's determination to go after the drug 
cartels.

On Saturday, Fox disclosed that he and Bush had agreed that the two nations 
will form a combined team to oversee the fight against drugs.

Fox said he welcomed Bush's recognition during a joint news conference 
Friday that U.S. consumption feeds the drug cartels and corruption in Mexico.

"This acknowledgment is the first in history from a president of that 
country," Fox said.

A senior Mexican official said the two presidents also dealt in detail with 
their energy and water problems and broached ideas for joint solutions.

Fox said that Bush had assured the Mexicans "of his commitment to the total 
respect for human rights, his total commitment to avoiding violence and 
avoiding bad treatment of our citizens on the road to the United States."
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