MEXICO PUBLICLY PUSHES FOR PROGRESS ON

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 04 MEXICO 001523 SENSITIVE SIPDIS STATE FOR A/S SHANNON AND A/S SULLIVAN STATE FOR WHA/MEX, WHA/EPSC, EB/TPP USDOC FOR A/S BOHIGIAN USDOC FOR 4320/ITA/MAC/WH/ONAFTA/GERI WORD TREASURY FOR IA (LUYEN TRAN, RACHEL JARPE) DHS FOR CBP/PSO/MARTINEZ_FONTS NSC FOR RICHARD MILES, DAN FISK STATE PASS TO USTR (EISSENSTAT/MELLE) STATE PASS TO FEDERAL RESERVE (ANDREA RAFFO) STATE PASS TO GSA/PEPPLER E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: ETRD ECON PBTS KTEX EAGR MX SUBJECT: MEXICO PUBLICLY PUSHES FOR PROGRESS ON CROSS-BORDER TRUCKING, BORDER INFRASTRUCTURE, AND ALLIANCE FOR GROWTH AND PROGRESS-TYPE GOALS REF: (A) 08 SECSTATE 41895 (B) 07 MEXICO 6186 (C) 08 MEXICO 1333 Summary -------------- ¶1. (U) In a May 14 briefing to the Trade and Investment Committe of the American Chamber of Commerce in Mexico, Mexican Under Secretary of International Trade Negotiations for the Ministry of Economy Beatriz Leycegui urged the business community to support GOM efforts to improve the competitiveness of North America. She said the top priorities were for the U.S. to meet its NAFTA obligation to open the border to cross-border trucking; facilitating border crossings and improving border infrastructure; and reducing trade barriers caused by differing technical norms and sanitary and phyto-sanitary standards (SPS). She reviewed Mexico's "vision" for confronting the declining competitiveness of North America, which focused on deepening trade integration within the Americas including through the Pacific Arc Forum (REF C),but included efforts to deepen trade ties with Europe and Asia. She explained that although there could be no renegotiation of NAFTA, the agreement would benefit from some specific revisions and improvements. End Summary ¶2. (U) Leycegui first presented an analysis of how North America was losing competitiveness compared to Brazil, Russia, India and China, and then laid out Mexican efforts to confront the problem. She said a top Mexican goal was the successful conclusion of the Doha Round because a failure of the Round risked increased global protectionism, especially given pressures stemming from the global crisis in food prices. Deepening Trade Integration Within North America -------------- -- ¶3. (U) With North America, Leycegui said Mexico's priorities were the cross-border trucking demonstration project, facilitating border crossing and improving border infrastructure, and regulatory cooperation. On trucking, she said the only NAFTA obligation not yet implemented was the U.S. obligation to fully open the border to cross-border trucking. She stressed the importance of meeting this obligation for North American competitiveness, noting that the current requirement to transfer cargo between three trucks when crossing the border posed a serious competitive disadvantage, negating the benefit of Mexico's location adjacent to the United States. ¶4. (U) Leycegui explained that the purpose of the one-year cross border trucking demonstration project was to show that Mexican trucks are ready to enter the United States and comply fully with U.S. regulations. She said that under the program, Mexican trucks have crossed into the U.S. more than 6000 times without any incident. She expressed concern that more companies were not participating in the program, noting that as long as it was only a one-year "pilot," companies MEXICO 00001523 002 OF 004 would not make the required investment. She expressed gratitude for the Bush Administration's complete commitment to the demonstration project, and to moving from the one-year pilot to a completely free flow of trucks across the border as required by NAFTA. She noted that the U.S. and Mexican governments were both highly concerned that legal challenges could suspend the program. She noted that once it becomes clear that the program will continue, the Mexican Trucking Association, CANACAR, will pressure the Mexican Senate to put restrictions on U.S. trucks reciprocal to those placed on Mexican trucks. (Note: CANACAR claims that U.S. regulations on Mexican trucks are currently more strict than vice versa. End note.) 5.(U) Regarding the other two priorities, Leycegui noted that there were "very specific measures needed urgently" to improve border infrastructure, and explained that technical norms, sanitary and phyto-sanitary standards, and the failure of Mexico, the U.S., and Canada to recognize each others' certifications posed a major barrier to trade. ¶6. (U) Leycegui stressed the importance of the Security and Prosperity Partnership (SPP) as a mechanism to overcome these challenges, especially its Presidential- and Ministerial-level meetings. She emphasized the need to deepen and institutionalize such regional integration in North America. ¶7. (U) She urged the private sector to participate in the "Great Debate about NAFTA" in order to publicize its benefits for consumers and the overall economies of our three countries. She further urged the private sector to seek bilateral and trilateral synergies with the U.S. and Canada to expand the benefits of NAFTA. She said that there could be no renegotiation of NAFTA, but NAFTA could use revision and improvement, for example to make its rules of origin more flexible, further integrate the sugar sectors, make much-needed improvements to the services chapters, and to expand recognition of professionals. Regional Trade Integration in Latin America -------------- ¶8. (U) In contrast to the U.S., Leycegui said there was a favorable geopolitical environment in Latin America to deepen trade ties. Her description of Latin American efforts to widen their integration was similar to what she gave Econoffs on April 29 (REF C). She reviewed how certain Latin American countries, especially Mexico, Colombia, Peru and Chile, were working through the Pacific Arc Forum (PAF, a.k.a. Pacific Basin Initiative Forum) to establish cumulation of origin amongst common free trade partners, starting with texile cumulation with CAFTA. She said the ultimate goal was convergence among the Latin American FTA's. She noted that those countries most interested were forging ahead, with others able to reserve the right to join up later. She said that Canada was very interested in the Pacific Arc Forum, and the United States was positive about the idea of cumulation of origin, but not participating due to its domestic political environment. She noted that because the United MEXICO 00001523 003 OF 004 States was the most important market for the Latin America countries now working to integrate their FTA's, the rules and standards these countries were seeking to harmonize naturally tended toward standards for the U.S. market. She said this fact would make it easier for the United States to join the process once U.S. domestic politics allowed. ¶9. (U) In addition to efforts via the Pacific Arc Forum, Leycegui said Mexico and Colombia were deepening their FTA. Mexico was in an advanced state of negotiations on an FTA with Peru, was committed to negotiating an FTA with Panama, and should have an FTA with the Dominican Republic in about four years. She said Mexico was seeking to widen coverage of its "Economic Complementarity Agreements" with Brazil, Ecuador, Argentina and Cuba. Trade Integration with Asia -------------- ¶10. (U) With Asia, Leycegui said Mexico was being careful in its FTA negotiations with South Korea, following the U.S. and Canadian examples of ensuring provisions to protect the auto sector. She asked the American Chamber to provide input for the GOM position in these negotiations. She explained that 86 percent of what Mexico imports from South Korea is already liberalized, so Mexico is trying to take greater advantage of this already liberalized trade. ¶11. (U) Leycegui said Mexico was optimistic about Strengthening its "Economic Association Agreement" with Japan. With China, however, she said the "precarious" situation of bilateral trade with China prevents Mexico from negotiating an FTA right now. She said the GOM was aware, however, that Chile had an FTA with China, and Peru and Costa Rica were negotiating FTA's, which meant those countries would receive trade benefits in the growing Chinese marker that Mexican exporters would not enjoy. Leycegui also noted that there are several upcoming meetings with China to address various trade concerns. Trade Integration with Europe -------------- ¶12. (U) With the European Union, she said Mexico was negotiating revisions to its chapters on agriculture, services and investment. She said Mexico was also working with the EU program to facilitate trade under this FTA, and a separate EU program to support small- and medium-sized enterprises in Mexico. Comment -------------- ¶13. (U) Leycegui's public comments are further affirmation that Mexican leaders remain committed to greater liberalization and integration as the best ways of ensuring national and regional competitiveness in the global marketplace of the 21st Century. We underline Leycegui's MEXICO 00001523 004 OF 004 public statement that the one-year demonstration project due to end in September will be followed by full liberalization of cross-border trucking. Clearly Mexico sees this as important to improving North American competitiveness. End comment. Visit Mexico City's Classified Web Site at http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/wha/mexicocity and the North American Partnership Blog at http://www.intelink.gov/communities/state/nap / GARZA