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| SOUTH OF THE BORDER
MAY 1, 1997TRANSCRIPT |
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President Clinton is planning a trip to Mexico, Costa Rica and Barbados intended to strengthen relations with Latin American allies. To preview the president's trip, Charlayne Hunter-Gault engages Mack McLarty, America's special envoy to the Amercias, in a Newsmaker interview.
A RealAudio version of this interview is available.
April 29, 1997:
An Online NewsHour Forum with a journalist in Mexico City.
March 4, 1997:
Kwame Holman reports on Republican claims that election year politics played a role in the rules of citizenship.
February 27, 1997:
Charles Krause interviews Sen. Diane Feinstein about her opposition to re-certifying Mexico.
October 23, 1996:
Charles Krause reports on what Mexican-Americans call the new anti-immigrant climate La Amenza--the threat.
October 22, 1996:
The NewsHour conducted an Issue & Debate looking at Senator Dole's and President Clinton's stands on immigration.
October 1, 1996:
Two experts discuss the ramifications of a new Immigration law.
March 26, 1996:
A look at California's controversial Prop. 187, which cuts off some health and social services, including access to public education to illegal aliens and their children.
The complete NewsHour coverage of Latin America.CHARLAYNE HUNTER-GAULT: The President and his entourage embark on a three-stage trip next week. First stop is Mexico, then to Costa Rica for a meeting with leaders of Central American nations, and Barbados as the last stop for a meeting with Caribbean leaders. Here to talk with us about what's at stake for the United States in this trip is President Clinton's special envoy to the Americas, Mack McLarty. And thank you for joining us.
MACK McLARTY, Special Envoy for the Americas: Charlayne, I'm delighted to be here, thank you.
CHARLAYNE HUNTER-GAULT: All right. Let's start with Mexico, your first stop. What is at stake there for the U.S.?
MACK McLARTY: Charlayne, Mexico is a neighbor. We share nearly a 2,000-mile border with Mexico. They are a partner and a major partner. They're our third largest trading partner. About 700,000 Americans are--jobs are directly linked to our exports with Mexico--
CHARLAYNE HUNTER-GAULT: 7000?
MACK McLARTY: 700,000.
CHARLAYNE HUNTER-GAULT: 700,000.
MACK McLARTY: Yes; 700,000 jobs directly linked with trade with Mexico. And those export jobs generally, on average, are much better paying jobs and are really in many ways the keys to our economic future. And finally, Mexico is our friend. We share a very rich cultural link with Mexico, and we see an increasing Hispanic population in our country and an increasing Hispanic influence in our leadership positions here. So it's a very important, critical relationship.
CHARLAYNE HUNTER-GAULT: But I understand that that relationship has suffered a little rocky road because of Mexico's failure to make any progress on the drug problem. Is the president taking a peace offering?
MACK McLARTY: I don't think I would quite--quite put it in that way. I think the relationship is a broad one, is a deep one, and is an increasingly maturing relationship that gives us an ability not only to talk about the opportunities but to talk about the complicated and difficult issues like immigration and to talk about problems that we share like narcotics and narcotics trafficking.
CHARLAYNE HUNTER-GAULT: So you've gotten over whatever issues you had on that?
MACK McLARTY: Charlayne, I think the issue of drugs, which is both a supply and a demand problem. It is a very dark and a very evil force that affects the very fabrics of our society, both here in the United States and in Mexico. So I think first we will talk in a very serious way about identifying the problem, and then discuss how we can work together, make cooperation work against a very serious and negative force on both our societies.
CHARLAYNE HUNTER-GAULT: Let's move on to Central America. There's lots more to talk about with Mexico, but we got to run through this whole trip. What's it take in that region of seven countries, Central America?
MACK McLARTY: Charlayne, this is a time of great promise and hope in Central America. I have been there twice in recent weeks. It is the first time we have seen peace and stability in that region in 36 years. And with that, comes great promise of economic development, and, of course, it is a beautiful part of our world and has some of the most wonderful environmental sites and rain forest and other aspects of that type literally in the world.
CHARLAYNE HUNTER-GAULT: So what are you pursuing there?
MACK McLARTY: Well, first of all, I think the agenda will be, one, to establish a deeper and a broader partnership in a region that is not only experiencing peace but is working much more closely and cohesively together, fundamental trading and investment relationships particularly now with stability in the region. Secondly, there are a number of mutual projects, particularly in the environmental area, that we will be working very closely with, the Central Americans on this trip, and of course beyond.
CHARLAYNE HUNTER-GAULT: Well, you mentioned illegal immigration a few moments ago in connection with Mexico. But in this whole region, three quarter of the illegal immigrants who come to this country come from there. Is the President going with some plan for that?
MACK McLARTY: I think immigration will be discussed on all three presidential visits to the region, Charlayne. We, of course, in the United States are the most open country. We are a nation of immigrants. But what we are talking about is enforcing the laws that deal with illegal immigration. We want to continue to have legal immigration that is the source of richness and culture and productivity in our country. But to do that--but to do that we must enforce the laws--our current laws, which frankly tighten the immigration laws in a very effective way.
CHARLAYNE HUNTER-GAULT: So you'll be discussing--
MACK McLARTY: On all three stops. But always enforcing those laws with respect for human rights. That's part of our heritage and democratic principles as well.
CHARLAYNE HUNTER-GAULT: Although some critics--columnists I've read--have said that the U.S. has allowed the drug problem to overshadow human rights and democracy.
MACK McLARTY: I would not agree with that. I think the very key throughout this entire region when we'll be traveling to Latin America in the fall and then to Chile in 1998 for the convening of the Summit of the Americas--that's really been the President's consistent and comprehensive program here--and the key is to deepen these partnerships, to affirm democracy, and to make cooperation work, all the while building trade opportunities.
CHARLAYNE HUNTER-GAULT: Recently at a meeting in Atlanta, heads of state and former heads of state of the region urged that the President act swiftly to pursue getting the negotiating authority to expand free trade in a faster way. What will you tell them about that? They all want to be, you know, like Mexico, a part of NAFTA, the North American Free Trade Agreement.
MACK McLARTY: Well, the region is a very--a very expansive region in terms of its economic development, Charlayne. Our exports to Latin America are growing at about twice the rate of our exports to any other region in the world. It is a natural market for us, but it is not--it is not a market we can take for granted. We have competition in the region, and from both the Europeans, the Japanese, and other very interested parties, so it is essential--it is essential we move ahead with broad fast track authority.
CHARLAYNE HUNTER-GAULT: Do you think the U.S. is in danger of losing out to those other countries because it hasn't moved on this?
MACK McLARTY: Economic integration is taking place in a global economy, and so we'll either lead or be led behind, but the real fundamental point here, it is in the fundamental interest of the hard-working men and women in this country for us to be able to open markets and provide jobs and good-paying jobs just like we talked about with the 700,000 jobs that are linked to our trade with Mexico.
CHARLAYNE HUNTER-GAULT: Well, what's the president prepared to say to them?
MACK McLARTY: Well, I think he's already set a firm foundation in place in 1994, when he convened the Summit of the Americas in Miami, and one of the real fundamental successes of that meeting with the 34 democratically-elected heads of state was the establishment of a goal of a free trade area by the year 2005.
CHARLAYNE HUNTER-GAULT: They want it now.
MACK McLARTY: No. I think they understand that this is a step-by-step process, and it is also a reciprocal process, Charlayne, where they open their markets. Our markets are the most open in the world. So I think the ten years to move to this free trade area, all the while making progress, is essential.
CHARLAYNE HUNTER-GAULT: Finally, let's move to the Caribbean. What's at stake there, briefly?
MACK McLARTY: Well, the Caribbean, of course, is linked to our country both geographically and also culturally. They have a long history of democracy, but the real fundamental challenge here, it seems to me, is twofold. First of all, you have some smaller economies in the world that are very close, and we're trying to integrate carefully and orderly with the largest and most powerful economy in the world. Secondly, we have a very direct interest in achieving a partnership in terms of how we fight narcotics and particularly drug trafficking through the Caribbean region.
CHARLAYNE HUNTER-GAULT: Yeah, but they're all upset because the United States wouldn't support them in their efforts to support their banana crops which they say they need so that they don't have to grow marijuana.
MACK McLARTY: Well, I think it's, No. 1, we have always been concerned about the transition of those smaller economies. And you're right. In some cases the banana crop is 50 percent of some of the smaller island economies. But the real heart of the matter is certainly not, Charlayne, with the Caribbeans. The heart of the matter is the discriminatory practices of some markets that simply do not let certain products in, not just bananas but across the board. I was in Barbados, and I think we will make substantial progress in this area.
CHARLAYNE HUNTER-GAULT: Well, we'll look forward to that.
MACK McLARTY: As will we.
CHARLAYNE HUNTER-GAULT: Thank you, Mack McLarty, for being with us.
MACK McLARTY: Charlayne, thank you.
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