Clinton Defends NAFTA, Heads To Costa Rica Tonight

MEXICO CITY (AllPolitics, May 7) -- President Bill Clinton, wrapping up his first official visit to Mexico, strongly defended the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) today in a talk to a cross-section of Mexican society.

"NAFTA is working, working for you and working for the American people," Clinton said in a speech at the National Auditorium. "In three short years and despite Mexico's worst recession in this century, trade between our nations has grown nearly 60 percent."

Clinton noted that Mexico is the United States' third-largest trading partner, just behind Japan, which has an economy 15 times larger than Mexico's.

"We must accelerate the pace of these efforts, to reach more people and more communities," Clinton said. "We must include more nations in our partnership, so that we can achieve our goal of a free-trade area of the Americas."

Clinton has been pushing for renewed fast-track negotiating authority to craft other Latin American trade agreements. That power expired in 1993, and Republicans in Congress have balked at giving Clinton broad negotiating authority.

In his talk, Clinton recalled when he and wife Hillary honeymooned in Mexico 22 years ago, and he included a Spanish phrase, "Me encanta Mexico" ("I am enchanted by Mexico").

On Tuesday, Clinton and Mexican President Ernesto Zedillo agreed to a series of pacts concerning drugs, trade and immigration.

Later today, Clinton is scheduled to visit the archaeological zone at Teotihuacan, north of Mexico City, before jetting to Costa Rica for a summit of Central American leaders. Clinton's weeklong trip concludes Friday and Saturday in Barbados, with a meeting of Caribbean leaders.