Mexico and US look to future

Fox wants to transform Mexico's relationship with the US

Mexico's president-elect, Vicente Fox, has met President Clinton in the White House for talks in which he outlined his radical proposals for changing the relationship between the two countries.

Mr Fox has previously called for an opening of borders and greater integration to help create jobs and raise incomes in Mexico, arguing that the US places too much emphasis on controlling illegal immigration.

Obviously we have borders and we have laws that apply to them

President Clinton

"We talked about migration, which is a problem, and we explored solutions, and the solutions have to do with economic development," Mr Fox told journalists afterwards.

Speaking before their hour-long meeting, President Clinton expressed interest in hearing Mr Fox's ideas, but warned that the law had to be upheld.

"Obviously we have borders and we have laws that apply to them and we have to apply them and so do the Mexicans," he said.

However he extended a warm welcome to Mr Fox, saying that his election last month, which ended 71 years of rule by the Institutional Revolutionary Party, was a "truly historic affirmation of democracy".

US presidential candidates will be trying to cash in on Fox's popularity in the US

A White House spokesman later said that the immigration question was a long-term issue which would take years to work out.

He said the key to dealing with migration was to create better-paying jobs in Mexico - something the two leaders had discussed at length.

Partners not enemies

The Mexican leader arrived from Canada on a tour to discuss regional issues, including the future of the North American Free Trade Agreement (Nafta) which binds the three countries in an economic treaty.

Mr Fox has already made it clear that he wants to drive forward the debate on the heated topics of drugs and immigration, and change the relationship with Washington from one of adversaries to that of partners.

We recognise that the key to dealing with migration is creating better-paying jobs in Mexico

White House spokesman

His vehicle for this would be the Nafta: well before his trip north, Mr Fox said he wanted to deepen Nafta ties, to perhaps ultimately create something more like the European Union, with open borders and a common currency.

His idea is to begin by easing border controls between Mexico and the US to acknowledge the important role that migrant labour plays in the US economy, rather than building expensive high-tech but largely useless barriers to immigration.

And he also wants to take a more co-operative approach to drugs trafficking, with the US openly acknowledging that without its enormous demand the business would not exist.

But both issues are highly sensitive inside the US, and few politicians will be willing to get involved ahead of elections.

Polite but wary

Before meeting President Clinton, Mr Fox held talks with Vice-President Al Gore, the Democratic Party's candidate for the presidency in November's election.

Mr Gore praised the Mexican leader as a man with "big ideas", but a spokesman said he found aspects of his open border proposals "very problematic".

The Republican candidate, George W Bush, who meets Mr Fox on Friday, expressed similar reservations.

However both candidates were expected to see their meeting with the highly popular Mexican leader as a chance to win some of the important Latino vote.