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million. López Obrador's team presented US officials with a plan of action on trade, security, migration and development that will be handed over to the president.
Donald Trump,
said Marcelo Ebrard, who was named Mexico's next foreign minister.
Ebrard stated that López Obrador's team would wait for Mr. Trump to receive the proposal before disclosing the details. He described the meetings as "frank, respectful and cordial", giving reason to "reasonable optimism".
Ebrard said that economic development in Central America hit by poverty and violence is key to curbing undocumented migration to the United States
. Pompeo was accompanied by Secretary of the Treasury Steven Mnuchin, Secretary of Homeland Security
Kirstjen Nielsen
and counselor of the White House
Jared Kushner.
They first met the outgoing president
Enrique Peña Nieto
then went to the office of Mr López Obrador, who was elected by a landslide on 1 July and will take up office on 1 December.
The visit of a high-level US delegation to discuss migration, trade and security issues after the election highlights the importance of Mexico for the United States, said
Andrew Selee,
President of the Washington-based Migration Policy Institute.
Although Mr. Trump has been using Mexico for the past two years as a "punching bag" to whip his electorate, the United States is realizing that it's a important country and fears that Mr. López Obrador may not be as willing as Mr. M. Selé added that Mr. Peña Nieto should cooperate closely with the United States on bilateral issues.
López Obrador criticized Mr. Trump's immigration policy, including his crackdown on undocumented migrants across the United States. He called the US drug war of failure and proposed an amnesty for some people involved in the cultivation of marijuana and opium poppy used to make heroin.
He blames much of the growing crime in Mexico, as well as the migration of Mexico and Central America, on inequality and poverty, and sees economic development as a way of fighting it . He hopes to engage the United States in regional development efforts.
"We need to tackle the causes that lead to migration: people move and leave their place of origin out of necessity, not for pleasure," said López Obrador this week announcing the meeting On the night of his election, Mr. López Obrador said that Mexico would seek good relations with the United States "still based on mutual respect and defense of our migrants" which
Since it was spoke with Mr. Trump on the phone after his electoral victory, Mr. López Obrador seemed conciliatory.
He expressed gratitude for "the respectful attitude" of Mr. Trump and the US government. Mr. Trump is receptive to the proposal to base the relationship on development cooperation, he said.
The Mexican governments of the last two decades have made great efforts to stay on good terms with USA, and the The operation continued under the leadership of Mr. Peña Nieto despite disagreements over the North American Free Trade Agreement, the border wall and the crackdown on immigration by the United States. Trump administration. "I imagine that Americans have a very clear agenda, and at the center of the agenda is migration to Central America," said former Mexican Foreign Minister Jorge Castañeda. "It's a huge domestic political problem for Trump."
During his campaign last year, Mr. López Obrador visited Mexican communities in the United States, visiting cities such as Los Angeles and New York. He has published a book of his speeches collected during the Spanish tours "Oye Trump" or "Listen up Trump", which describe Mr. Trump's migration policy as "xenophobic" and "racist", and demanded that migrants be treated with justice.
During his meeting with the US delegation, Mr. Peña Nieto expressed his concern about the separation of families on the US border and urged the United States to reunite them quickly, said the presidential press office . Mr. López Obrador's offices in the capital's Roma neighborhood, small groups of protesters demanded a change in Mr. Trump's immigration policy.
"Children are not criminals! Children are not criminals!", They shouted at the tinted windows of SUVs carrying the US delegation, a reference to Mr. Trump's zero tolerance policy. [19659004] "We may be a small group here, but we argue," said Ricardo Varona, a 33-year-old software programmer. "For me, it's about leadership and forcing American leaders out of their comfort zone.They need to try a more humane approach with migrants."
L & # 39; Former US ambassador Roberta Jacobson, who resigned from her post in Mexico earlier this year, said any agreement for concrete actions should not emerge. "You know." She added that the meeting could be "a little late for the current government, a bit premature for the next one."
Trade also occupies an important place in bilateral relations as the United States, Mexico and Canada prepare to resume NAFTA. after a hiatus of two months. Parties were still stuck on topics such as content rules for the auto sector when the United States imposed tariffs on the metal in Mexico and Canada, which provoked retaliation against US exports [19659004]. López Obrador, who, a year ago, had called for the suspension of the Nafta talks after the Mexican elections, acknowledged the work of the current Mexican negotiating team. "We will accompany them as observers, as a support to reach a good agreement, a good treaty.We do not exclude this possibility," he said earlier this week.
Minister of Economy
Ildefonso Guajardo,
who is Mexico's chief trade negotiator, this week with the United States Trade Representative
Robert Lighthizer
"We will not see a break between the Nafta negotiations under Peña and the Nafta negotiations under López Obrador," said Antonio Ortiz-Mena, senior vice president. to strategic consulting firm Albright Stonebridge Group and a member of the original Nafta trading team representing Mexico.
-Juan Montes and Robbie Whelan contributed to this article.
Write to José de Córdoba at [email protected] and Anthony Harrup at [email protected]
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