Nafta Trucking, Energy on Presidents’ Meeting Agenda

Resolving the ban on free access throughout the United States by Mexican truckers is one of the main items U.S. President Bush and President Fox of Mexico will discuss Friday when they meet at Fox’s ranch in San Cristobal, White House aides said.

Another item is Bush’s goal of obtaining more oil and electricity from Mexico, particularly timely in light of the California rolling blackout situation, the aides added.

Expanding all trade across the border is a goal of both leaders, but it is unlikely that any final decision will be announced today, the aides said in various news accounts.

President Clinton’s ban on Mexican trucks late in 1995 was a violation of the North American Free Trade Agreement, a special arbitration panel ruled earlier this month. Bush followed by saying he intended to carry out his campaign pledge to abide by the treaty and rescind the ban, although he gave no timetable.

In a national call-in telephone interview the Washington Post conducted Thursday, President Fox addressed the question of safety of Mexican trucks and drivers, which has been the main issue raised by such opponents of the Nafta provision as the Teamsters union and safety organizations.

“Our trucking system in Mexico is both . . . modern and of quality, and we also have a few old trucks on the other hand,” Fox was quoted in a transcript of the interview made public by the Washington Post.

“We don’t have sufficient resources and capital to have 100% of our fleet updated,” he said. “But we are ready to go to U.S. territory, meet the standards and the regulations and compete with the U.S. fleet.

“We have done it in other areas, we can do it in this one. But more so, why don’t we envision strategic associations between U.S. trucking companies and Mexican companies?”

Addressing the electric power matter, President Fox called for close coordination — “for Mexicans, Americans, Canadians and Central Americans.”

“We must envision electricity corridors, gas ducts, highway corridors, railroads, ports, airports connecting all of this territory and different nations,” he said in the interview.