[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1999, Book I)]
[February 15, 1999]
[Pages 192-194]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]



Remarks to Business Leaders in Merida
February 15, 1999

    Mr. President, Mrs. Zedillo, distinguished Mexican officials, members of the Mexican 
Congress, the Governor and First 
Lady of Yucatan, the mayor and the people of Merida: Let me begin by thanking all 
of you for the wonderful reception you have given to me and to Hillary, 
to the members of our Cabinet, the Members of Congress, our entire 
American delegation.
    Hillary and I came to Mexico 24 years ago for what I believe you 
call our luna de miel, our honeymoon. And your country has been close to 
our hearts ever since. I want to especially thank President 
Zedillo for joining me in building the 
closest, most candid, most comprehensive relationship in the long 
history of our two nations.
    Merida faces the Caribbean and the interior. It looks north and 
south. It combines Old World architecture with a thriving indigenous 
culture. In many ways, therefore, this city symbolizes the new, 
inclusive community of the Americas, a community of shared values and 
genuine cooperation. I thank the Members of the American Congress of 
both parties whose presence here with me today is evidence of America's 
commitment to the common future we will make together.
    Nothing better symbolizes the sea change in our sense of hemispheric 
community than the partnership between the United States and Mexico. Not 
so long ago, the great Mexican writer Octavio Paz said, ``The North 
Americans are outstanding in the art of the monolog.'' I'm glad to say 
we have turned the monolog into a dialog--a dialog of mutual respect and 
interdependence. Today, we speak with each other, not at each other. 
From different starting points, our courses are converging in our common 
commitment to democracy and in the absolute certainty that we will share 
the challenges and opportunities of the 21st century.
    We honor President Zedillo and all the 
people of Mexico for the steps you have taken and are taking to deepen 
your democracy. Now, as your people deliver their votes for democracy, 
we must all do what we can to make sure democracy delivers for them, for 
democracy will only endure if we can build the quality of life it 
promises.
    That is the challenge we are addressing here today. I start with the 
good news: As President Zedillo has said, our economic relationship is 
strong, and we are making it even stronger. Our decision to let Mexican 
and U.S. airlines engage in joint sales and marketing will generate many 
millions of dollars in new revenues, not only for the airlines but for 
the travel and investment potential of our countries. It will benefit 
especially tourism regions like the Yucatan. We also

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agreed today to enable the Ex-Im Bank to provide up to $4 billion to 
keep U.S. exports such as aircraft and construction equipment flowing 
into Mexico and to maintain Mexico's position as Ex-Im's top market.
    This year we celebrate 5 years since NAFTA entered into force. There 
were many doubters then. But look at the facts now: Since 1993, our 
exports to each other have roughly doubled. In the United States alone, 
a million jobs depend on this trade; that is up 43 percent since 1993. 
Of course, we still have work to do on labor, environmental, and other 
issues. But NAFTA has taught us that we have far more to gain by working 
together.
    We learned that lesson again 4 years ago when the United States was 
proud to assist Mexico in restoring confidence in the peso. President 
Zedillo acted decisively and courageously. 
The Mexican people made tough sacrifices to speed recovery. The United 
States was right to support you, and you have followed the right course.
    More recently, we all agree that our trade relationship has helped 
to insulate both countries from the global financial crisis that has 
caused such hardship elsewhere. In 1998, while U.S. exports to the 
Pacific Rim dropped 19 percent, our exports to each other went up about 
10 percent. We must expand this oasis of confidence and growth in our 
hemisphere by creating a free-trade area of the Americas. And we must 
stand by our friends in the hemisphere when they face the difficulties 
of the moment--particularly President Cardoso of Brazil, whose reforms ultimately will help the 
Brazilian people and all the rest of us as well.
    Today we did good work to deepen our partnership beyond economics. 
As the President said, we are joining together to help our Central 
American neighbors. We're improving public health along our border. 
We're working hard to protect the natural resources we share. As we 
learn more about pollution problems along the border, we're better able 
to respond to them, including through the institutions created by NAFTA.
    Today we've agreed to strengthen our cooperation in fighting forest 
fires and air pollution, in cleaning our water, and in moving against 
climate change, the greatest global environmental challenge of the next 
century.
    We have also made progress in areas today where, to be charitable, 
we have not always agreed. Not long ago, we could not have had a 
conversation about drugs without falling into an unwinnable argument 
about who is to blame. That has changed. The American people recognize 
we must reduce our demand for drugs; the Mexican people recognize that 
ending the drug trade is a national security and public health 
imperative for you.
    We can talk candidly about this now because we have started to speak 
the same language: the language of parents who love their children; the 
language of citizens who want to live in communities where streets are 
safe and laws are respected; the language of leaders who recognize that 
our responsibility is to protect our people from violence and our 
democracy from corrosion.
    In 1997 President Zedillo and I 
committed our countries to an alliance against drugs. ``Alliance'' is 
not a word to be used lightly. It means that what threatens one country 
threatens the other and that we cannot meet the threat alone. If a town 
in Mexico lives in fear of traffickers who enrich themselves by selling 
to our citizens and terrorizing Mexican citizens, that is a problem we 
have a moral duty to solve together.
    We have increased our cooperation. I welcome the plan Mexico 
announced 2 weeks ago to invest an additional $500 million in the fight 
against drugs. The United States is ready to do all we can to support 
you. I offered our support to Mexico's newly established Federal 
preventive police force. We will expand consultation on cross-border law 
enforcement. We agreed to important new benchmarks that will actually 
measure our mutual success in the war on drugs.
    We must also tackle the problem of corruption that bedevils every 
nation fighting drugs. I want to acknowledge President 
Zedillo's efforts in Mexico's interests to 
root out this scourge. Much has been said in my country about the extent 
of the problem you face. But let us not forget that what we know in 
America comes largely from Mexico's brave efforts to get to the truth 
and air it. Mexico should not be penalized for having the courage to 
confront its problems.
    Another sensitive issue that has divided us all too often is 
immigration. The United States is a nation of immigrants, built by the 
courage and optimism of those who came to our shores to begin life anew. 
We continue to accept large numbers of legal immigrants, and we continue

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to have our borders crossed every year by large numbers of illegal 
immigrants. As we welcome new immigrants, we must also strive to manage 
our borders. I say to you that we will do so with justice, fairness, and 
sensitivity. We will also work to promote safety and human rights at the 
border. And as we agreed today, we must work together to stop the deadly 
traffic in human beings into and through our nations.
    Ten years ago our relationship was marred by mistrust. Today, we 
recognize that any complex relationship will have its ups and downs, but 
we know our differences cannot divide us. President Zedillo and I have invested a great deal in our partnership. 
We intend to lay the groundwork for the next generation of leaders to 
follow, people who will build on the legacy all of us have worked hard 
to create. The way we approach our problems now will define how our 
successors--not just our leaders but ordinary citizens--in Mexico and 
the United States will live their lives for decades to come.
    Mexico is the largest Spanish-speaking country in the world. Before 
long, the United States will be the second largest Spanish-speaking 
country in the world. Almost 15 million United States citizens trace 
their ancestry to Mexico. Twenty-eight percent of our foreign-born 
population come from here. Every year our border is legally crossed 
about 250 million times. With each crossing, we move beyond mere 
diplomacy, closer to genuine friendship, a human friendship between two 
peoples who share the same continent, the same air, the same ancestors, 
the same future.
    We are more than neighbors. More and more, we belong to the same 
American family. Like any family, we will have our differences, born of 
history, experience, instinct, honest opinion. But like any family, we 
know that what binds us together is far, far more important than what 
divides us.
    Not long after Merida was founded, a Mexican poet described the 
renewal that comes every year at this time to those who wisely till 
their fields and plant ahead, in these words: ``Here, by the Supreme 
Giver, one and all, in stintless grace and beauty, are bestowed. This is 
their dwelling. These, their native fields. And this, the tide of spring 
in Mexico.''
    This tide of spring has brought a new season of friendship between 
Mexico and the United States. President Zedillo, people of Merida and Yucatan, I wish you a happy 
Carnival. For all of us, I pray that we will reap the full harvest of 
the season. Agradezco a los Mexicanos de todo corazon. Thank you, 
Mexico.

Note: The President spoke at 1:45 p.m. in the Teatro Peon Contreras. In 
his remarks, he referred to President Ernesto Zedillo of Mexico and his 
wife, Nilda; Gov. Victor M. Cervera of Yucatan and his wife, Amira; 
Mayor Xavier Abreu of Merida; and President Fernando Cardoso of Brazil.