Speech #990226909

The U.S. and Mexico have enjoyed close. friendly and coooperative relations for many years. Our relations with the 80 million Mexicans are diverse and complex. and involve daily contacts at every governmental. business. social. and cultural level. Mexico is our third largest trading partner after Canada and Japan. and our chief source of oil imports. Over 7 million U.S. citizens are of Mexican descent. In recent years U.S. attention has focused on illegal immigration and drug trafficking. but Mexicos internal problems are the real time bomb on our southern border. Despite sixty years of political stability. Mexico has extremes of wealth and poverty and 50% of the work force is unemployed or underemployed.