| | |  News Around the Republic of Mexico 
Calderon Urges Canada to Drop Visa Requirement for Mexico
 Agence France-Presse
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May 27, 2010
| | Mexico's President Felipe Calderón | |
Ottawa – Mexico's Felipe Calderon on Thursday said he "sincerely hopes" Canada will soon drop a new visa requirement for Mexican visitors enacted last year to stem false refugee claims.
Hundreds of thousands of Mexican tourists visited Canada each year. This figure dropped by 40 percent over after Canada suddenly changed its entry rules in July 2009, Calderon said in a speech to the Canadian parliament.
"We thoroughly respect Canada's right to make decisions regarding its immigration system," he said.
"We sincerely hope that the solution that this parliament is studying through comprehensive amendments to the refugee law will also serve as a bridge that will enable us to renew the exchanges of our visitors," he added.
Calderon reiterated his "willingness to work with the Canadian government so that this temporary measure can be put behind us."
In July 2009, Canada imposed visa requirements for travelers from Mexico and the Czech Republic after refugee claims from these two countries soared.
Ottawa set out to amend its immigration law to fast-track legitimate refugee claims while weeding out bad ones.
Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper earlier acknowledged that "false requests for refugee status" had affected Canada's relations with several countries, including Mexico.
But "this has nothing to do with the Mexican government," he insisted. "It's a problem in our system" that must be fixed, he said.
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