Bush Stands by Truck Veto Pledge

(Michael James - Transport Topics) Mexican President Vicente Fox and U.S. President Bush at the White House on Wednesday.

President Bush is standing by his pledge to veto legislation from Congress aimed at keeping Mexican trucks out of the country, the Washington Post reported.

The Senate, just before the August recess, passed a transportation appropriations bill containing measures that would toughen safety standards for Mexican trucks. That bill must now be resolved in conference with a House bill that would bar the federal government from spending money to process Mexican applications for greater truck access.

Mexican President Vicente Fox, who concludes his visit to the United States on Friday, told Congress Thursday that they needed to show confidence in his administration by allowing Mexican trucks into the United States, according to the New York Times.

Fox pointed out that he is the first major official to be elected from Mexico's opposition party and that U.S. confidence was key to maintaining a good relationship between the two countries.

Fox said he believes an element of trust has been missing in the relationship between Mexico and the United States, news services reported. A greater level of trust would go a long way toward resolving border issues like trucking, immigration and drug trafficking, he said.

During a meeting on Wednesday with reporters and editors from the Washington Post, Fox warned that his country would retaliate against the U.S. if it didn’t allow for Mexican trucks to enter the country under the North American Free Trade Agreement.

The Mexican chief executive referred to Nafta as an incomplete treaty because of the refusal by the United States to admit Mexican trucks.

Fox told the Post that the truck issue is a commitment the U.S. made under Nafta and it should be lived up to. He also warned that if Mexican trucks aren’t allowed in the U.S., then U.S. trucks will have to stay out of Mexico.

Fox faces stiff opposition on both sides of the aisle – Republicans opposing amnesty for illegal immigrants and Democrats on the issue of Mexican truck operations on U.S. roadways.

The trucking dispute, according to Bloomberg, involves an effort by organized labor to prevent Mexican competitors from entering the country on the grounds their vehicles are unsafe.