26 October 2002
Presidents Bush, Fox Discuss Migration, North Korea, Iraq
(Joint photo opportunity in Los Cabos, Mexico October 26) (1220)
President Bush says he and Mexican President Vicente Fox seek to deal
with the issue of Mexicans who migrate to the United States in search
of work "in a way that recognizes reality, and in a way that treats
the Mexican citizens who are in the United States with respect."
In a joint photo opportunity with Fox in Los Cabos, Mexico October 26,
Bush said the long-term solution for the migration issue is to find a
way to encourage commerce "on both sides of the border, so people can
find jobs here in Mexico, for starters."
At the same time, he said, "we've got to recognize that wage
differentials are going to cause people to want to come to the United
States."
Bush noted that economic pressures have also generated migration
within Mexico.
"On the (U.S.-Mexican) border, wage differential is narrowing, so the
migration pressure tends to come from interior of Mexico and the south
of Mexico," he said. He added that he and Fox have discussed in the
past "how best to develop industry together in the midst of Mexico, in
the south of Mexico, so that people are more likely to find work at
home."
North Korea and Iraq were two other issues Presidents Bush and Fox
discussed during their meeting.
On North Korea, Bush said, the U.S. goal is "to work with our friends
in the region to convince (North Korean leader) Kim Chong-il to
disarm."
"The strategy is to make sure that our close friends and our allies
and people with whom we've got relations work in concert to convince
Mr. Kim Chong-il that a nuclear weapons free peninsula is in his
interests, it's in South Korea's interests and it is in the world's
interests," he added.
The disarmament of Iraq is also an issue of global concern, according
to Bush.
Bush urged the United Nations to pass a resolution that will hold
Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein to account.
"If the U.N. won't act, if Saddam Hussein won't disarm, we will lead a
coalition to disarm him," he said.
Following is a transcript of the event, as released by the White
House:
(begin transcript)
For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
October 26, 2002
Remarks by the President
and Mexican President Vicente Fox
in Photo Opportunity
Las Ventanas AL Paraiso Hotel
Los Cabos, Mexico
11:00 A.M. (L)
PRESIDENT FOX: (Speaking Spanish.)
PRESIDENT BUSH: Vicente, thank you for inviting us here. This is a
very beautiful part of the world, and we're so honored you're hosting
this convention.
We did have a very good discussion, but I'm not surprised, after all,
we're close friends. We discussed trade, we discussed commerce. We did
discuss migration. Ever since I have been the President and Vicente
has been the President, we have had a mutual desire to deal with the
migration issue in a way that recognizes reality, and in a way that
treats the Mexican citizens who are in the United States with respect.
And we will continue to work on this issue.
And we did talk about world peace, and Iraq. Mexico is a member of the
Security Council. We discussed how to keep the world peaceful, how to
hold people to account, how to make sure the United Nations is
effective. And I appreciate so very much the President and the Foreign
Minister's desire to consult closely with the United States as we move
forward to making the world more peaceful.
So we're -- it's an honor to be here. It's going to be a very
important conference, being held in a beautiful spot and hosted by a
good friend. Mr. President.
We'll take a couple of questions.
Q: President Bush, we know that -- we understand President Fox was
going to talk to you about the impact that your subsidies would
eventually have on Mexican illegal migration to the U.S. Did you have
an answer for him?
PRESIDENT BUSH: Ask the question again -- agricultural subsidies?
Q: Migration --
PRESIDENT BUSH: Oh, yes. Well, here's the answer. The answer is, the
long-term answer for the migration issue is to work a way that
encourages commerce on both sides of the border, so people can find
jobs here in Mexico, for starters. That's the long-term solution.
And the short-term solution, we've got to recognize that wage
differentials are going to cause people to want to come to the United
States. And when they come to the United States, we've got to work to
make sure they're treated with respect. And the issue is how do we
recognize the reality of two societies with a wage differential the
way they are. Here on the border, the wage differential is narrowing
-- or on the border, wage differential is narrowing, so the migration
pressure tends to come from interior of Mexico and the south of
Mexico.
And one of the things that the President and I have discussed in the
past is how best to develop industry together in the midst of Mexico,
in the south of Mexico, so that people are more likely to find work at
home.
Heidi. Oh, sorry.
Q: A senior administration official told us this morning that the goal
with North Korea is to isolate them. What is your strategy for doing
that without winding up in the same position that we were in, in 1994,
with a failed agreement?
PRESIDENT BUSH: Well, I'm glad you asked a senior administrative
official. Our goal is to work with our friends in the region to
convince Kim Chong-il to disarm. I made a positive step yesterday in
Crawford when the President of China made a public declaration that he
said, like the United States, we share the desire to make sure the
Korean Peninsula is nuclear weapons free.
Right after this meeting with President Fox, I'll be meeting with the
leaders of Japan and South Korea, where we'll continue this dialogue.
So the strategy is to make sure that our close friends and our allies
and people with whom we've got relations work in concert to convince
Mr. Kim Chong-il that a nuclear weapons free peninsula is in his
interests, it's in South Korea's interests and it is in the world's
interests.
Q: (Asked in Spanish.)
PRESIDENT FOX: (Answered in Spanish.)
PRESIDENT BUSH: (Speaking Spanish.)
Q: For President Fox -- it's the same question, basically. For
President Fox, are you prepared to support the U.S. position at the
U.N. and vote for a resolution authorizing force?
And for President Bush, are there any consequences for nations that
don't support our position at the U.N.?
PRESIDENT BUSH: The only consequence, of course, is with Saddam
Hussein. And if the U.N. does not pass a resolution which holds him to
account, and that has consequences, then as I have said in speech
after speech after speech, if the U.N. won't act, if Saddam Hussein
won't disarm, we will lead a coalition to disarm him.
Q: President Fox?
PRESIDENT FOX: (Answered in Spanish.)
END 11:18 A.M. (L)
(end transcript)
(Distributed by the Office of International Information Programs, U.S.
Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
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