No More Knots in U.S.-Mexico Ties : Key Issues Will Benefit From the New Bilateral Spirit

Relations between Mexico and the United States are going through a very constructive phase. The governments of both countries have assigned them high priority, and positive attitudes have marked the early months of both the Salinas and Bush Administrations. A set of simple but fundamental guidelines is emerging as a result. Two of those guidelines--one directed at the bilateral and the other at the wider, even global, dimensions of our interactions--are particularly relevant.

We must be able to distinguish actions and statements made by the central authorities of both governments (or by those agencies formally in charge of the different dimensions of bilateral relations) from those that may be made by any other of the many participants--governmental and nongovernmental--that constitute the complex web of interactions between the two countries. All of the latter not only have interests that may be affected by events and actions on the other side of the (respective) border; they also have a clear right to express their opinions. Governments, however, should make an effort not to allow conflicts on this level to damage beyond all proportion the overall climate of intergovernmental relations.

We should also be committed to keeping bilateral relations, with their complex mix of joint challenges and unavoidable disagreements, distinct from policies undertaken by either government in relation to third parties or in international forums. Our disagreements should be explored and the different national interests which are often at their base should be frankly and clearly communicated. We must learn to disagree without hostility.

In other words, there is no doubt that there will be disagreements between us in the future, but it is our intention that none of those disagreements will be as a result of a lack of understanding of each other’s position.

The degree to which those intergovernmental contacts that we have had reflect this understanding allows me to be quite optimistic regarding the possibility of consolidating the current constructive phase into something more permanent. To fulfill this opportunity, several things have to be done.

In the first place, the “spirit of Houston” must be embodied in specific measures. (This refers to the first meeting between Carlos Salinas de Gortari, at the time the president-elect, and George Bush, then vice president, when expectations for the present positive climate were clearly expressed.) The seventh meeting of the intergovernmental Binational Commission, held in August in Mexico City and attended by almost half of both Presidents’ cabinets, identified several such measures and, in fact, started action on them.

We must also act firmly in those instances when the basic guidelines may be jeopardized. Violence along the border is a clear example of actions and events that, although unrelated to actions or decisions taken by the central authorities of either of our governments, may end up damaging the overall positive political climate of the relationship.

The border areas are, in fact, prime examples of both the joint challenges and the opportunities that increased interaction brings to both countries--and of the potential points of tension that may be created or intensified by the same process. If we are to expand the opportunities and limit the tensions, we should be prepared to act promptly on violent incidents.

The complexity of the relationship is reflected not only in the activities of the many participants in areas of mutual interest; the complexity is also evident in the fact that actions taken for ostensibly domestic reasons, or directed at third countries, may have an impact--sometimes quite dramatic--on immediate neighbors. We should be able to manage the associated problems, and to do that, we must expeditiously consult on such matters.

In the future, we will have to build on the mechanisms already at our disposal in order to improve our ability to consult, communicate and negotiate our differences.

There are many levels and instances at which our political dialogue takes place. This week, we will witness an example at the highest level, in the visit of President Salinas de Gortari to your nation’s capital. The opportunities and demands of the present will be evaluated and acted upon by the heads of state of Mexico and the United States, opening new opportunities for further positive dialogue at lower levels.

There are many participants in bilateral interactions, as I have stressed here. Governments, however, have the primary responsibility not only to act but also to define the overall tone of the relationship, sending signals that the other participants should take quite seriously.

The challenge of the immediate future is to maintain at the top of our agendas this need to guide our actions by the simple but vital rules that have already begun to strengthen our relationship.