Fox says officials from U.S., Mexico, Canada to meet in June

By RICARDO CHAVIRA / The Dallas Morning News

MEXICO CITY – The United States, Mexico and Canada will assess the North American Free Trade Agreement in June and map out how to improve the accord
during the next decade, President Vicente Fox said Tuesday.

Much of the meeting, he said, would explore ways of expediting the nations' economic integration, improving housing and infrastructure and facilitating movement of
people across borders.

The site of the meeting was not announced.

The historic economic accord resulted in dramatic advances here. Per capita income, for example, stood at $4,000 four years ago, Mr. Fox said. Today it is at
$6,500, an all-time high. A 10-year plan on NAFTA would build on those economic successes, he said during a breakfast meeting with foreign correspondents.

Despite differences with the United States over the war against Iraq, the Mexican leader said his country had not ceased cooperating with its northern neighbor in the
fight against terrorism.

"Mexico had a different opinion in the way the possession of weapons of mass destruction or chemical weapons could have been resolved," Mr. Fox said. "But our
bilateral relationship is very intense, and I think we can keep on building on it and narrowing the differences we had.

"Things happened the way they happened. Today we are looking to the future and keeping this binational relationship strong."

Emphasizing that point, he announced that Interior Minister Santiago Creel will meet Wednesday with U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge for two days in
Tijuana and San Diego to review border security.

He sent "warm greetings to our friend the president of the United States," but acknowledged he had not had any recent telephone contact with Mr. Bush.

Presiding over the U.N. Security Council, Mexico will work to strengthen the council and give it full credibility while seeking to "reunite countries that during the
conflict had conflicting positions," Mr. Fox said.

He added that Mexico will promote an "active, responsible and strong participation of the United Nations in the reconstruction of Iraq and the urgent humanitarian
task."

In other remarks, Mr. Fox said that his country's vote in favor of sending a U.N. envoy to study Cuba's human rights record was consistent with Mexico's position
on the issue in recent years. Regarding the summary trial and execution of three Cubans accused of hijacking a boat, Mr. Fox said Mexico did not make judgments
on a country's internal affairs.