http://www.reuters.com/article/africaCrisis/idUSN10470175
* Three leaders differ on some trade issues
* Obama says need to expand trade not restrict it
* Harper raises Buy American provisions (Updates with details on fighting drug trade, Honduras)
By Steve Holland and Patricia Zengerle
GUADALAJARA, Mexico, Aug 10 (Reuters) - Leaders of the United States, Mexico and Canada vowed on Monday to fight the spread of the H1N1 swine flu and combat drug gangs but differed on trade disputes at their "three amigos" summit.
U.S. President Barack Obama, Mexican President Felipe Calderon and Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper met against a backdrop of an economic downturn in each country with a U.S. rebound key to a regional improvement.
"The global recession has cost jobs and hurt families from Toronto to Toledo to Tijuana," said Obama at a joint news conference as the leaders pledged to work together to prepare for a summit of 20 leading economies in Pittsburgh next month.
Facing the possibility of a resurgence in the H1N1 virus this autumn likely to lead to more deaths, the three leaders pledged that their governments will share information and try to instruct their peoples on how to prepare.
"H1N1, as we know, will be back this winter," Calderon said. "We are getting prepared, all three countries, to face in a responsible manner this contingency and abate its impacts for our people."
The three leaders vowed to respect the North American Free Trade Agreement that unites their countries in trade, but differed on some issues.
Harper raised with Obama Canada's concerns about the "Buy American" provisions in the $787 billion U.S. economic stimulus plan that the Canadians fear could shut out Canadian companies.
Canada is the United States' largest trading partner.
Obama said it was important to keep in mind that no sweeping protectionist measures have been imposed and that the "Buy American" provisions were limited to the stimulus and have "in no way endangered the billions of dollars in trade between our two countries."
DRUG WAR
A central focus of the talks was also the fight against Mexican gangs dominating the drug trade over the U.S. border and up into Canada, often with U.S.-made weapons.
Obama and Harper rallied around Calderon in his government's drive against warring drug gangs that has raised concerns about human rights abuses as the body count soars.
Calderon said his government is doing its best to respect human rights while trying to destroy the enemy. "We know that we are destroying their criminal organization. We're hitting them hard We're hitting at the heart of the organizations."
And all three underscored their objective of seeing the peaceful resolution of what Obama said was clearly a coup against Honduran President Manuel Zelaya.
Obama bristled at a reporter who repeated that some critics said the United States has not been strong enough on the issue.
"The same critics who say that the United States has not intervened enough in Honduras are the same people who say that we're always intervening and the Yankees need to get out of Latin America," Obama said. "You can't have it both ways."
Calderon, in his opening statement, indirectly raised a cross-border trucking dispute over allowing Mexican trucks to transit into the United States.
He said all three leaders believe it is essential to abide by NAFTA and to "resolve the pending topics" impeding greater regional competitiveness.
Obama had made clear to Calderon that he was working with the U.S. Congress to resolve what he considers to be legitimate safety concerns with Mexican trucks.
He said the United States, Mexico and Canada should take steps to avoid protectionism, saying "we need to expand that trade, not restrict it."
The three leaders issued a statement on joint efforts to combat climate change with an eye toward a global summit on the topic in Copenhagen in November.
"We, the leaders of North American reaffirm the urgency and necessity of taking aggressive action on climate change," they said. (Additional reporting by Mica Rosenberg, editing by Frances Kerry and Cynthia Osterman)
"Three amigos" talk trade, H1N1, drugs in Mexico
* Three leaders differ on some trade issues
* Obama says need to expand trade not restrict it
* Harper raises Buy American provisions (Updates with details on fighting drug trade, Honduras)
By Steve Holland and Patricia Zengerle
GUADALAJARA, Mexico, Aug 10 (Reuters) - Leaders of the United States, Mexico and Canada vowed on Monday to fight the spread of the H1N1 swine flu and combat drug gangs but differed on trade disputes at their "three amigos" summit.
U.S. President Barack Obama, Mexican President Felipe Calderon and Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper met against a backdrop of an economic downturn in each country with a U.S. rebound key to a regional improvement.
"The global recession has cost jobs and hurt families from Toronto to Toledo to Tijuana," said Obama at a joint news conference as the leaders pledged to work together to prepare for a summit of 20 leading economies in Pittsburgh next month.
Facing the possibility of a resurgence in the H1N1 virus this autumn likely to lead to more deaths, the three leaders pledged that their governments will share information and try to instruct their peoples on how to prepare.
"H1N1, as we know, will be back this winter," Calderon said. "We are getting prepared, all three countries, to face in a responsible manner this contingency and abate its impacts for our people."
The three leaders vowed to respect the North American Free Trade Agreement that unites their countries in trade, but differed on some issues.
Harper raised with Obama Canada's concerns about the "Buy American" provisions in the $787 billion U.S. economic stimulus plan that the Canadians fear could shut out Canadian companies.
Canada is the United States' largest trading partner.
Obama said it was important to keep in mind that no sweeping protectionist measures have been imposed and that the "Buy American" provisions were limited to the stimulus and have "in no way endangered the billions of dollars in trade between our two countries."
DRUG WAR
A central focus of the talks was also the fight against Mexican gangs dominating the drug trade over the U.S. border and up into Canada, often with U.S.-made weapons.
Obama and Harper rallied around Calderon in his government's drive against warring drug gangs that has raised concerns about human rights abuses as the body count soars.
Calderon said his government is doing its best to respect human rights while trying to destroy the enemy. "We know that we are destroying their criminal organization. We're hitting them hard We're hitting at the heart of the organizations."
And all three underscored their objective of seeing the peaceful resolution of what Obama said was clearly a coup against Honduran President Manuel Zelaya.
Obama bristled at a reporter who repeated that some critics said the United States has not been strong enough on the issue.
"The same critics who say that the United States has not intervened enough in Honduras are the same people who say that we're always intervening and the Yankees need to get out of Latin America," Obama said. "You can't have it both ways."
Calderon, in his opening statement, indirectly raised a cross-border trucking dispute over allowing Mexican trucks to transit into the United States.
He said all three leaders believe it is essential to abide by NAFTA and to "resolve the pending topics" impeding greater regional competitiveness.
Obama had made clear to Calderon that he was working with the U.S. Congress to resolve what he considers to be legitimate safety concerns with Mexican trucks.
He said the United States, Mexico and Canada should take steps to avoid protectionism, saying "we need to expand that trade, not restrict it."
The three leaders issued a statement on joint efforts to combat climate change with an eye toward a global summit on the topic in Copenhagen in November.
"We, the leaders of North American reaffirm the urgency and necessity of taking aggressive action on climate change," they said. (Additional reporting by Mica Rosenberg, editing by Frances Kerry and Cynthia Osterman)
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Peter S. Lopez ~aka: Peta
Sacramento, California,Aztlan
Yahoo Email: peter.lopez51@yahoo.com
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1 comment:
Well, the speeches and aims sound quite promising. But don't they always? We will have to wait and see what the three leaders will actually do. Looking forward to see the results.
Lorne
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