Ambassador Garza Welcomes the Visit of Senate Majority Leader Reid and Delegation on Security Cooperation and Economic Development
Statement by Ambassador Antonio O. Garza
Mexico City, November 30, 2007 - "I am very pleased that a high-level delegation led by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid visited Mexico yesterday to discuss our bilateral relationship. The U.S. Senate is currently considering funding for the Merida Initiative, arguably the most important step forward in the Mexico - U.S. bilateral relationship since the signing of NAFTA.
"Senate Majority leader Harry Reid, leading a bipartisan delegation of six other U.S. Senators, was received by President Calderon at Los Pinos yesterday in a meeting that lasted an hour and twenty minutes -- twice as long as scheduled. In addition to Senator Reid, the delegation included Senators Thad Cochran of Mississippi, Jeff Bingaman of New Mexico, Kent Conrad and Byron Dorgan of North Dakota, Mike Crapo of Idaho, and Robert Menendez of New Jersey.
"President Calderon has already demonstrated his strong commitment to fighting drug trafficking and organized crime, and we recognize our shared responsibility in that fight.
"Mexican Senate President Santiago Creel hosted an important delegation discussion with over twenty Mexican Senators, including party leaders Manlio Fabio Beltrones and Carlos Navarrete Ruiz. The frank discussions reinforced the already strong partnership between the U.S. and Mexico, and paved the way for even greater trust and cooperation.
"The U.S. Senators also visited a microfinance project in Mexico City supported the by the Embassy's Agency for International Development (USAID). The USAID project provides technical support to microfinance institutions that serve small businesses throughout Mexico. The group visited the workshop of Gilberta Hernandez, a client of Fincomun, one of the 14 financial institutions that receive USG support. By qualifying for credit, Ms. Hernandez has been able to expand her business fabricating wedding and "quinceañera" bouquets. She now employs six other people and is not only selling her products in Mexico, but exporting to shops in Dallas, Houston and Chicago. She exemplifies the three million Mexicans who are building small businesses and have gained access to financial services from these institutions.
"Earlier, in a special ceremony at the U.S. Embassy, Senator Thad Cochran personally presented Cochran Fellowships to four agricultural specialists to help further develop the cacao industry in Tabasco. These employees of the Tabasco Ministry of Agriculture will go to the United States to study cacao production and also methods for increasing crop values and effectively marketing their products. In the wake of severe flooding, this effort will help speed agricultural recovery in this affected region, and support future economic expansion. The Cochran Fellowship is an outstanding example of the U.S. government's ongoing programs for cooperation and development that, in addition to over $2 million dollars in emergency relief, are being mobilized to assist the victims of the terrible flooding in Tabasco and Chiapas.
"This visit by Senator Reid and his fellow Senators will fortify the strong ties between our two great nations. The time they dedicated to meet with ordinary Mexican citizens, small business people and farmers from Tabasco, further underscores the close ties that bind our people. On both an official and personal level this visit was a great success, which I hope will be the first of many such exchanges over the coming year."