For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
March 23, 2005
Fact Sheet: Security and Prosperity Partnership of North America
"In a rapidly changing world, we must develop new avenues of
cooperation that will make our open societies safer and more secure,
our businesses more competitive, and our economies more resilient."
Joint Statement by President Bush, Prime Minister Martin, and President Fox, March 23, 2005
Today, President Bush, Prime Minister Martin of Canada, and
President Fox of Mexico announced the Security and Prosperity
Partnership of North America (SPP) at Baylor University in Waco,
Texas.
Through the SPP, the United States, Canada, and Mexico seek to:
Establish a cooperative approach to advance our common security and prosperity.
Develop a common security strategy to further secure North America, focusing on:
Securing North America from external threats;
Preventing and responding to threats within North America; and
Streamlining the secure and efficient movement of legitimate and low-risk traffic across our shared borders.
Promote economic growth, competitiveness, and quality of life. Through cooperation and information sharing, the SPP will work toward:
Improving productivity;
Reducing the costs of trade; and
Enhancing the joint stewardship of our environment, facilitating agricultural trade while creating a safer and more reliable food supply, and protecting our people from disease.
The SPP is based on the principle that our prosperity is dependent
on our security, and recognizes that our three great nations are bound
by a shared belief in freedom, economic opportunity, and strong
democratic institutions.
At the meeting, President Bush, Prime Minister Martin, and
President Fox released Security and Prosperity Agendas to further
protect and secure North America from 21st Century threats and to
increase economic opportunities for the people of North America while
maintaining high standards of health and safety.
Following the meeting, and based on the content of the Security and
Prosperity Agendas, each nation will establish ministerial-level
Security and Prosperity Partnership working groups. The working groups
will:
Consult with stakeholders (in the business sector, state and local
governments, and non-governmental organizations) in their respective
countries;
Set specific, measurable, and achievable goals and
implementation dates;
Identify concrete steps the governments can take
to achieve these goals;
Within 90 days (June 2005) report back to the Heads of Government with their initial report; and semi-annual progress
reports thereafter.
Areas of Focus and Responsibility
The following U.S. working groups will be established:
Security working groups chaired by Secretary Chertoff and the Department of Homeland Security will address:
External Threats to North America
Streamlined and Secured Shared Borders
Prevention/Response within North America
Prosperity working groups chaired by Secretary Gutierrez and the Department of Commerce will address:
Manufactured Goods
Energy Food and Agriculture
Business Facilitation
E-Commerce and Information and Communications Technologies
(ICT)
Transportation
Environment
Financial Services
Rules of Origin
Secretary Rice and the Department of State will work with the
Departments of Homeland Security and Commerce to integrate the work of
the Security and Prosperity working groups, and ensure that it advances
U.S. foreign policy goals and enhances our strong relations with Canada
and Mexico.
Relationship to Other Initiatives
The SPP will complement, rather than replace, existing bilateral
and trilateral fora and working groups that are performing well. It
establishes leader-level priorities for ongoing and new trilateral and
bilateral initiatives, giving existing efforts additional momentum, and
creating new programs and initiatives where necessary and appropriate.
The SPP will enhance and strengthen our ongoing security efforts,
such as the Smart Border Accord, the Border Partnership Action Plan,
and the Free and Secure Trade (FAST) Initiative.
The SPP builds upon, but is separate from, our long-standing trade
and economic relationships, and it energizes other aspects of our
cooperative relations, such as the protection of our environment, our
food supply, and our public health. The issues of immigration and
trade disputes will be dealt with outside the SPP thru existing
treaties and congressional action.