Bush, Fox Discuss Mexican Worker Visas, Energy Issues

President Bush met Thursday with his Mexican counterpart, Vicente Fox, to discuss temporary visas for Mexican workers and plans for long-range energy development among Mexico, the U.S. and Canada.

The meeting was the third for the pair, who talked at the Summit of the Americas in Canada last month and met in Mexico in February.

Fox said they discussed long-range plans for the U.S. to import energy from Mexico and Canada, which have large reserves of oil and natural gas. But those talks were sketchy, Fox said, pending recommendations from a task force headed by Vice President Dick Cheney.

“We’re basically just discussing the idea,” Fox said. “There is nothing yet . . . on anything specific.”

The meeting followed up on their Quebec City discussions on trade, efforts to fight drug smuggling, and progress on a temporary U.S. visa program for Mexican workers.

Fox said they talked about “an orderly system” through which Mexican residents could work in the United States “so that they don’t have to be hiding away from anybody. They can go back and forth.”

“We are not shooting for naturalizing them, or making them Americans,” Fox said.

He also announced that Mexico has arrested Adan Amezcua, one of three brothers known as the “kings of amphetamines.” U.S. officials want the trio extradited to face smuggling charges.

A senior Bush administration official, speaking on condition of anonymity, added that the two leaders also discussed giving Mexican trucks full access to U.S. highways.

Bush extended an invitation to Fox to pay a state visit Sept. 5-7.