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 News from Around the Americas | July 2006 
White House Clarifies Its Position
 Associated Press - El Universal
| | Fox said Bush acknowledged it is unlikely the U.S. Congress will pass immigration reform before U.S. legislative elections in November. |
Madrid - President Vicente Fox said Tuesday his U.S. counterpart George W. Bush had expressed "commitment and conviction" toward approving major immigration reform in the United States by the end of the year.
But White House press secretary Tony Snow contradicted Fox, saying he may have misunderstood what Bush had told him - that the reform wouldn´t happen until next year.
"Look, I´m going to clarify, because I asked the president about this. He did not tell the president of Mexico that there was no chance that this was going to be passed before the elections. The president of Mexico may have misheard," Snow told journalists.
"But the president is still committed to comprehensive immigration reform, and getting it done as quickly as possible," he added.
Fox said he had spoken with Bush on the issue during the Group of Eight summit in St. Petersburg, Russia. Fox attended the meetings as a guest.
Bush "reiterated his conviction that the United States must consider a comprehensive reform on migration," Fox said. "And to this end he will continue working with the legislative power in that country, as he has done up to now, to ensure that this migratory reform can be made a reality before the end of year and, once achieved, it will substantially change the lives, destinies and dignity of 10 million people."
Fox said Bush acknowledged it is unlikely the U.S. Congress will pass immigration reform before U.S. legislative elections in November. "But at the same time (Bush) reiterates his firm commitment and conviction that it will be approved before the end of the year," Fox said.
Fox´s remarks appeared to contradict statements attributed to him Monday on the plane bringing him here from the summit. Then, Fox was quoted as saying Bush told him approval of reforms by year´s end was unlikely because of the November congressional elections in the United States.
On Tuesday, Fox seemed to confirm that he himself was only ruling out reforms before those elections, but not for the remainder of 2006.
Aides to Fox were not reachable Tuesday. An official at the Mexican Embassy who refused to give his name said he was not aware of Fox´s remarks on the plane. |
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