MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency
“Neighboring countries”, a priority
"Neighboring countries" are a priority for the new administration's foreign affairs agenda revealed White House Chief of Staff Andrew Card, adding that Mexico in mid February will be the first county to be visited by President George W. Bush. "We are following closely relations with Nato, the European Union and events in Middle East but our priority are the neighboring countries", said Mr. Card who recalled that Mexico and Canada are United States main trade partners. Although Mr. Bush practically has no experience in foreign policy, as former governor of Texas he has followed closely the 1994 agreements that created with Mexico and Canada the North American Free Trade Association. Mr. Card also said that an outstanding event in the coming months is the Quebec continental summit that will convene heads of government of all American countries, with the exclusion of Cuba, in an attempt to resume derailed continental trade talks. During his campaign President Bush promised that in the first four months of his administration he would obtain the "fast track" Congressional authorization that will enable him to negotiate the all Americas Free Trade Association, which was denied to the Clinton administration. Another member of the new cabinet that could be vital for Latinamerica is the new Secretary of the Treasury, Paul O'Neill, a former Alcoa CEO, (world's main aluminum industry) with great experience in Venezuela and Mexico. However neither recently named Secretary of State Colin Powell nor National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice are known to have any previous Latinamerican experience and they will have a more immediate issue, peace talks in the Middle East.
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