Note: This Electronic Research Collection is an archive site. For the most current information, please visit the
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
95/05/17 CLOSING REMARKS AT U.S.-MEXICO BINATIONAL COMMISSION
OFFICE OF THE SPOKESMAN
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
Office of the Spokesman
For Immediate Release May 16, 1995
REMARKS AT THE CLOSING PLENARY
OF THE U.S.-MEXICO BINATIONAL COMMISSION
BY
SECRETARY OF STATE WARREN CHRISTOPHER
AND
SECRETARY OF FOREIGN RELATIONS,
JOSE ANGEL GURRIA TREVINO
Washington, D.C.
May 16, 1995
FOREIGN SECRETARY GURRIA: (Through interpreter) Thank you very much,
Mr. Secretary. We have concluded an intensive and productive Binational
Meeting. The political dialogue has been lofty. The levels of
cooperation have been unprecedented, and we have created a new
understanding between our two countries.
As you were able to see, we have been dealing with hundreds of subjects
-- hundreds of subjects that are alive and vibrant and are of major
importance. Where we have created institutions to handle these
subjects, and where we have been able to detect whatever failings may
exist, we are correcting those failings.
We value the rich and broad agenda of this 12th Binational Commission
meeting. It has been a splendid opportunity to evaluate how much has
been done over the past few months and how much has been done in recent
years.
Likewise, our work here today will serve as a basis for the meeting of
our two Presidents who have agreed to get together next October 10 in
this city.
We came to Washington with the intention of renewing the mechanisms for
dialogue and the result has been extremely satisfying. The reports we
have just heard on each one of these no longer 13 but 14 working groups
that we have now -- thanks to Energy -- are a reflection of the wealth
and breadth of our bilateral agenda and of the new spirit of cooperation
of this new understanding prevalent in our relationship.
There is still much to be done, but we do have this wonderful
instrument, this Binational Commission, to solve our differences and to
push forward. We are motivated by this new understanding of respect and
friendship. We are through our geography neighbors and by our political
will we are partners and friends.
I wish to express on behalf of the Mexican delegation our gratitude for
the hospitality and warm welcome of the U.S. Government, as well as the
excellent organization of the work which has been carried out.
We would like to especially thank all of you and especially President
Clinton for the very cordial meeting that we had with him, as well as
the time he devoted to us and the friendliness and affection with which
he received us.
We would like to share with you the message of President Clinton which
was to continue to work with Mexico in all the subjects of the bilateral
agenda. It was truly a major and a motivating meeting.
We leave satisfied with our achievements and what we have built today:
Respect for work, a spirit of cooperation, and, as I said, this new
understanding which will allow us to better deal with the challenges of
tomorrow.
Thank you.
SECRETARY CHRISTOPHER: Mr. Secretary, and Ministers, ladies and
gentlemen:
I would like to begin by thanking you all for joining this meeting and
all the people in the room for their participation in this very
important 12th Annual Meeting of the Binational Commission.
The level of our participation here, the breadth of the work we've done,
the agreements we have signed, I think reflect a very vital bilateral
relationship, one that is consistent with and is a reflection of our two
nations and of the closeness of their cooperation.
I'm very grateful to my Cabinet colleagues and sub-Cabinet colleagues
for attending today, and having an opportunity to meet their Mexican
counterparts. To the Ministers from Mexico, I'm particularly grateful
to many of you who have come here for the first time in your role as
Ministers in the Zedillo Administration. I think our work together
today is exemplary.
We'll each, of course, continue in our areas of particular
responsibility, and we look forward to the meeting on October 10th
between our two Presidents to build on the already strong relationship
that we have between our two nations.
I want to commend everyone here for the dedication that they've had in
making the meeting a success. As the Foreign Secretary said, we go
forward from this meeting with a renewed commitment, a renewed
understanding of the importance of the relationship and a sense that we
have a genuine partnership which, as we work at it, can be an example
for the rest of the world.
So I thank you all. I wish you all well, and I look forward to seeing
many of you, I'm sure, in October and at the next Binational Meeting
next year. Thank you all, and the meeting is now adjourned.
To the top of this page