DATE=05/04/02
TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT
TITLE=BUSH/MEXICO (L)
NUMBER=2-289425
BYLINE=SCOTT STEARNS
DATELINE=WHITE HOUSE
CONTENT=
VOICED AT:
INTRO: President Bush says the United States and Mexico are working to expand trade and democracy in the Western Hemisphere. V-O-A's Scott Stearns reports, Mr. Bush used his weekly radio address to commemorate Cinco de Mayo, a holiday marking the anniversary of a key battle for Mexican independence.
TEXT: President Bush says Mexico's 1862 victory over French troops continues to inspire liberty-loving people around the world.
/// BUSH ACT ///
It reminds us that the cost of freedom is always high, but it is never too high. Brave and determined people, committed to a great cause, can do great good. That was true 140 years ago, and it remains true today.
/// END ACT ///
Mr. Bush says Americans are grateful for Mexico's support in the war against terrorism. He says he is working with Mexican President Vicente Fox to boost cross-border trade and improve immigration procedures.
He recalled that President Fox was the guest of honor at his first state dinner, a time before September 11th, when Mr. Bush said the United States has no more important relationship in the world that the one it has with Mexico.
/// BUSH ACT ///
My close relationship with President Fox reflects the close relationship between our nations. It is built on the solid ground of respect and trust and friendship. President Fox is a great Mexican patriot, a man of honest talk and convictions, who is passionately concerned for his people's welfare. We are both deeply committed to helping the entire American familia achieve prosperity and live in peace.
/// END ACT ///
Republicans are courting Hispanic voters ahead of the November elections. The president's weekly address is always rebroadcast in a Spanish translation. Saturday, it was Mr. Bush who read parts of the speech in Spanish, reminding voters that he is asking Congress to extend a law allowing families to stay together while they are waiting for residency.
The president says America's relationship with Mexico is built on common values and shared culture, the values of family and community, where, he says, character is formed and traditions are passed from one generation to the next.
/// BUSH ACT ///
Our two nations will succeed together because our futures are bound to each other. Geography made us neighbors, but our shared values and rich cultures have made us the closest of friends.
/// END ACT ///
Both countries are working to improve security along the more than three-thousand-kilometer border, without slowing the volume of trade, which brings more than four-million trucks and 300-million people across the border each year.
(SIGNED)
NEB/SKS/TW