By Scott Miller
Washington File Staff Writer
Washington – The Security and Prosperity Partnership of North America (SPP) is an important initiative and deserves the full support of business leaders from the United States, Canada and Mexico, according to Patrick Kilbride, executive director of the Council of the Americas’ North American Business Committee. President Bush, Mexican President Vicente Fox and Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin launched the SPP in March 2005 in an effort to establish a cooperative approach to advance North American security and prosperity. (See related article.) The SPP initiative includes the development of a common security strategy to shield the region from external threats, as well as to prevent and respond to threats within North America. The three nations also are working within the SPP to promote economic growth and competitiveness and improve the quality of life in the region through cooperation and information sharing. On January 10-11, the Council of the Americas’ North American Business Committee, in partnership with United Parcel Service (UPS), will provide North American business leaders and government officials an opportunity for dialogue on the development and implementation of the SPP, Kilbride said in a January 9 interview with the Washington File. More than 40 private sector participants from companies including Ford Motor Company, Tyco, Exxon Mobil and Grupo IMSA are expected to join government officials from the U.S. departments of State and Commerce, Mexico’s Secretariat of Foreign Relations and Canada’s Ministry of Industry at the forum in Louisville, Kentucky, he said. The forum sessions will focus on border trade facilitation, transportation networks, regulatory cooperation, and security collaboration. The governor of Kentucky, Ernie Fletcher, also is expected to address the forum. “We see the SPP as a remarkable initiative by the North American governments and we want to ensure it gets the full support from the private sector that it deserves,” Kilbride said. “We see this as an opportunity to bring key ‘stakeholders’ together in a collegial and collaborative environment to advance our mutual goals in trade and security.” Andrew Rudman, director of the Office of NAFTA (North American Free Trade Agreement) and Inter-American Affairs at the U.S. Department of Commerce, also expressed his support for the forum in a January 9 Washington File interview. “This is a great opportunity for business leaders from the three countries to talk to representatives from these countries about how to take best advantage of what we already have in North America in the face of greater competition outside the region, particularly addressing the nexus between security and business concerns,” Rudman said. Kilbride said moving forward, he hopes the SPP forum will lay a foundation for future public-private sector collaboration. “We hope the forum adds momentum to the SPP initiative and that the private sector can continue to engage in the SPP in a meaningful way.” In June 2005, the SPP issued a report outlining the initial results of efforts to facilitate trade and legitimate travel between the United States, Mexico and Canada while protecting the three countries from terrorism and other criminal threats. (See related article.) For additional information on the initiative, see Security and Prosperity Partnership of North America Web site. For information on U.S. policy in the region, see The Americas. |
