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 News Around the Republic of Mexico | June 2006 
U.S. Trip Leaves Fox Feeling Good
 Lennox Samuels - Dallas Morning News
| | With Mexicans going to the polls July 2 to choose a new president, President Vicente Fox soon will be a lame duck. |
Mexico City - With Mexicans going to the polls July 2 to choose a new president, President Vicente Fox soon will be a lame duck. As his six-year term draws to a close, Fox has necessarily had to cede much of the spotlight to the leading presidential candidates, Felipe Calderon of the president's National Action Party, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador of the Party of the Democratic Revolution and Roberto Madrazo of the former ruling Institutional Revolutionary Party.
Nevertheless, a recent poll shows that Fox may leave office Dec.1 as one of the most popular Mexican presidents in recent history, with approval ratings now over 60 percent.
On a swing through the state of Nuevo Leon, Fox spoke about his recent trip to California, Utah and Washington state, Mexico's economy and other matters.
QUESTION: Give us your impressions of your U.S. tour.
ANSWER: The attitude . . . of the . . . governors - the way they care and the way they speak about our people working in those states, our migrants. They are respectful, and they mention publicly that they need them. The governor of the state of Washington stated very clearly that there would be no Washington apples if it were not for the Mexican people working on that sector of their economy.
In relation to the migrants, their leaders and their communities, again a very positive attitude towards the possibility of the (Senate) bill being approved. They feel comfortable with it and appreciate very much the advantages it would bring to them - both those who are already working and documented in these states and those who need this for the future.
One thing that came to my attention was the other face of migration - those very successful, very talented kids of a new generation working for Microsoft in Seattle, working for Nintendo, working for Boeing or the construction agency. That same young generation now working in San Jose, working for the high-tech industry or developing their own businesses or high technology.
Now, the case of California, I was surprised by the new attitude of Gov. (Arnold) Schwarzenegger, positive in his terms, in comments, rejecting punishment for contractors, punitive measures for entrepreneurs in the case of migration hiring. His attitude in front of the National Guard and what I discussed with him and obtained from him is that we will keep on working on migration issues to make sure that human dignity, human quality and productive work of the migrants is respected.
So in conclusion, a good trip for our three purposes, which were: economic - investment and jobs for Mexico; political dialogue in relation to migration; and, No. 3, our people and my facility to be with them all throughout the trip.
Q: A couple of issues that the U.S. government, House and Senate are looking at: What migration bill would you like to see passed?
A: I go for the comprehensive initiative approved in the Senate, and this includes security. And we have the same demand and commitment with border security. Mexico wants a secure border against organized crime, drug trafficking, against people trafficking; a secure border that would bring in tranquility, peace, order to proud citizens in those bordering states and cities. Now, one thing is tied up with the other one. I know very well our obligations in Mexico, and that is to build up the jobs that are needed in Mexico and . . . we are working hard in this direction . . .
Last year we withheld (retained and sent back) 250,000 Central Americans that crossed illegally through Mexico. We're complying with migration law. We launched the initiative entitled Puebla Panama, which is a regional development initiative to reinforce the capacities of Central American economies and the capacity to build up jobs in Central America.
We're investing in infrastructure, education, job opportunities, together with Central American nations. We launched the Energy Initiative for Central America, which has been accepted, approved, and (we) are now proceeding to action to invest $10 billion in Central America for constructing a huge refinery to transform oil barrels into finished product.
Another project includes a natural gas pipeline, which will connect southern Mexico to Central America all the way to Panama. It includes a gasification plant to convert liquid gas into natural gas. That also includes a huge power electricity generating plant. And this also includes an integrated, sustainable energy package.
This is the way Mexico works with Central America to create opportunities and to create jobs. This is something we've been trying to build with the U.S. through the program called Partnership for Security and Prosperity, to create ideas like those I have mentioned and to generate the availability of investment funds, to put to practice programs like this.
Q: What are you going to do with all the oil money you make now from the windfall in prices?
A: All extra money that comes from oil, over and above the budget, is untouchable for the federal government - by law it's totally assigned to three purposes: 50 percent is for reinvestment in PEMEX (the state oil company), 25 percent is sent back to states to invest in infrastructure, and the remaining 25 percent is to keep it in a savings account for future decreases in oil prices, so not one single dollar revenue from oil over and above the budget figure goes to fixed expenses.
This is very important for market analysts, financiers and economists. Mexico will not begin (to have) problems (when) oil prices (are) brought down. Of course, we will have less revenue, but we are not using oil revenue for fixed expenses, for current expenses (so) we will face no budget problems.
Q: So you're in good shape for the future?
A: Yes, we are. |
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