Front Page	E-mail PagePrint Version

US, Canada, Mexico leaders tout free trade agreement’s economic, security benefits

NEW ORLEANS – 04/28/08 – The leaders of the US, Canada and Mexico recently concluded their two-day summit, giving a symbolic boost to the 14-year-old North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).

The annual gathering, like its previous versions since 2005, provided an opportunity for the North American leaders to strengthen ties and take stock of achievements made in mutual cooperation.

The leaders spent the two days discussing a broad spectrum of issues, including trade, food safety, emergency response, energy supply, border security, environmental protection, and organized crime.

But other than reaffirming a unified stand toward free trade, the so-called "Three Amigos Summit" produced few substantial outcomes, as analysts had predicted, in part because of the upcoming US presidential election.

Along with his Mexican counterpart Felipe Calderon and Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper, Bush used almost every occasion at the summit to stress the importance of and rally support for NAFTA, which has linked the three economies since 1994.

All three leaders emphasized the benefits of the agreement, saying it has helped create jobs, improve services and enhance people's quality of life.

According to US government figures, trade among the NAFTA nations more than tripled between 1993 and 2007, soaring from $297 billion to $930 billion.

"Now is not the time to renegotiate NAFTA or walk away from NAFTA," Bush told a joint press conference capping the summit. "Now is the time to make it work better for all our people. And now is the time to reduce trade barriers worldwide.”

Bush criticized senators Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, both candidates for the Democratic Party's presidential nomination, for their calls to “renegotiate,” or even unilaterally pull out of the NAFTA agreement altogether.

He also blamed Nancy Pelosi, the Democrat House speaker, for holding up a vote on a free trade agreement with Colombia.

Bush’s comments were echoed by both Calderon and Harper, who also gave examples of NAFTA's benefits.
"This is not the time to even think about amending it or canceling it," Calderon said. "This is the time to strengthen and reinvigorate this free trade agreement among our three countries."

The Mexican president stressed the "many benefits" of NAFTA, saying that it has helped create jobs for both countries and reduced the number of Mexicans emigrating to the US.

"I stress this issue because recently NAFTA has come under criticism," he said. "And I do not believe that people are realizing how many benefits NAFTA has brought, both to the United States and to Mexico."

Harper said NAFTA was "critically important" for jobs and prosperity on both sides of the border, asserting that to renegotiate it would be a mistake.

Both Calderon and Harper threw their weight behind Bush in his push for a free trade agreement with Colombia, saying that such a deal “would benefit everyone.”

Canada is currently trying to negotiate a free trade agreement with Colombia, while Mexico already has one with the South American country.

Go back, or read the latest Front Page stories:

Obama Should Complete Doha Round, CEOs Say

NEW YORK – 11/20/08 – A number of senior level corporate executives are urging the incoming Obama Administration to complete the long-stalled Doha Round of international trade talks in a new report published by the Wall Street Journal; responding to the report, New York Democrat Sen. Charles Schumer said that the Obama Administration and ''Democrats in general think we should trade in the global world,'' but concerns about ''income inequality'' should make business and government ''work together to cushion the blow.''