Press Releases 07
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.”
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