Obama, Mexican President Discuss Drug Trafficking, Immigration In First Meeting

January 13, 2009 3:35 a.m. EST

Washington, D.C. (AHN) - President-elect Barack Obama discussed drug trafficking and immigration in his meeting with Mexican President Felipe Calderón on Monday, the incoming commander-in-chief's first meeting with a foreign leader since winning the election.

In talks that have become a tradition before every newly elected president's inauguration, Obama praised Calderon's efforts to improve security in Mexico and reduce drug-related violence, incoming White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said in a statement.

Obama, who was joined by incoming White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel and National Security Adviser-designee Jim Jones, told Calderon that he would ask his secretary of Homeland Security to lead an effort to increase information-sharing in order to strengthen initiatives to "stop the flow of guns and cash" through the border. He also pledge to "take more effective action from the United States to stem the flow of arms from the United States to Mexico."

The United States recently approved $1.6 billion to help Central American governments fight drug cartels, and $400 million of that will be devoted to Mexico. The aid is part of the the Merida Initiative, a joint three-year security initiative introduced late 2007 by outgoing President George W. Bush and Calderón.

"On trade and the economy, President-elect Obama said that with both countries facing very difficult economic times, it's important to work together to maintain a constructive and comprehensive dialogue," Gibbs added.

The President-elect expressed his commitment to strengthen provisions for labor and the environment in the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) "to reflect the values that are widely shared in both of our countries." Obama also expressed hope that the two countries could soon start discussions "about mutually beneficial opportunities in low carbon energy development and carbon abatement opportunities."

Obama discussed fixing the U.S. immigration system and his view that immigrants should be treated with dignity and that the issue of immigration should not be used to marginalize any group. The President-elect said the two countries need to work more effectively to stop the flow of illegal immigration into the United States.

The meeting, which lasted for an hour and a half, was held around noon at the Mexican Cultural Institute in Washington, D.C. Calderon was accompanied by Mexican officials including Foreign Secretary Patricia Espinosa, Treasury Secretary Agustín Carstens and Ambassador to the United States Arturo Sarukhan.

Since 1980, American commanders-in-chief have met with Mexican presidents before their inauguration to emphasize close relations between the two countries.