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 News Around the Republic of Mexico | September 2007 
Fox Extols Significance of Presidential Library
 Jeorge Zarazua - San Antonio Express-News
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| | Fox is proud of the center and quick to point out that it is being paid for entirely through private donations and his charitable foundation, Vamos Mexico. |
Former Mexican President Vicente Fox didn't pass up the opportunity this week to tell members of the Texas Credit Union League meeting in San Antonio of his latest project nearing completion: a presidential library.
"We're building a presidential library for the first time ever in Mexico, the first time ever in Latin America," he told more than 1,400 members of the league gathered at the Marriott Rivercenter for their annual Leadership Conference this week.
The library and museum, known as the Fox Center, will make Mexico's democracy more "transparent and accountable," Fox said.
It will include four major departments: one for academics; another to house a think tank for research and development; a third for a library and archival center to store thousands of documents and images taken during his six years in office; and finally a cultural center with the capacity to host large events.
The Fox Center, being built on the president's ranch in the state of Guanajuato, is scheduled for completion in December, Fox said. A dedication is tentatively planned for April.
Fox is proud of the center and quick to point out that it is being paid for entirely through private donations and his charitable foundation, Vamos Mexico, or "Let's go Mexico."
While the library has taken up most of Fox's time since he left office at the end of last year, the former president also has been busy traveling and giving speeches. He hasn't shied from discussing important issues facing Mexico, such as immigration and more recently his country's decision to re-establish ties with Venezuela and Cuba.
Fox said that although he respects the decisions current President Felipe Calderón makes, he doesn't agree with his decision to send ambassadors to those countries.
Both Venezuela and Cuba pulled their ambassadors from Mexico during Fox's six-year presidency over disagreements on various issues. Fox said both "offended" the Mexican political process.
Fox also continued to criticize the United States' failure to pass immigration reforms and blasted the construction of a border fence.
During his visit to San Antonio on Thursday, Fox accepted an award from the World Council of Credit Unions for his efforts to revitalize the credit union movement in his country.
Fox said that before he entered office, 35 percent of Mexicans had access to credit or some form of financing. By the end of his tenure, he said, that number had increased to 75 percent, with credit unions being established in some of the most remote areas of Mexico, such as the state of Chiapas.
jzarazua@express-news.net |
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