No surprise: Calderon presses Obama on truck issue, Obama says he's committed to resolving dispute

President Barack Obama said he will also address safety concerns about the trucks raised by the U.S. Congress

The Trucker News Services

8/10/2009

GUADALAJARA, Mexico —Mexico President Felipe Calderon pressed President Barack Obama on allowing Mexican trucks access to U.S. highways during talks here Sunday and today, and the American president — holding true to previous statements — told Calderon that he is committed to resolving the dispute.

Obama said he will also address safety concerns about the trucks raised by the U.S. Congress, an administration official said after the two leaders met in Guadalajara yesterday at a summit of North American leaders, according to the news service Bloomberg. Calderon told Obama that the dispute has hurt trade, raised consumer costs and reduced job creation, according to a statement from his press office, Bloomberg reported.

Obama wrapped up his two- day visit to Mexico and was preparing to return to Washington.

Obama flew into Mexico's second-largest city late Sunday for a two-day speed summit with Calderon and Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper — a meeting whose main accomplishment will likely be a joint plan of attack for swine flu.

The so called "Three Amigos" summit began over dinner at an ornate cultural center here and was to conclude a mere 17 hours later at a joint news conference.

In April, when Obama visited Mexico City, the first swine flu cases were just surfacing. Now, it's a global epidemic that's sickened more than 43,000 people in the United States and is blamed for 300 deaths. The toll in Mexico is at least 15,000 cases and 141 deaths; in Canada it's 10,000 cases and 50 deaths.

While the H1N1 virus is in a summer lull in the Northern Hemisphere, it's expected to roar back in the fall. Public health officials are readying medicines and public education campaigns, hoping to curb the flu without disrupting vital cross-border trade and tourism.

"We're going to do everything possible to minimize the impact," said John Brennan, Obama's top White House adviser on homeland security. "There is going to be a joint statement on how the three countries ... tackle the H1N1 challenge."

On other subjects, the summit was more a chance to catch up than make progress.

Started by George W. Bush in 2005 near his Texas ranch, the North American Leaders Summit has become an annual showcase on trade. Canada is the top U.S. trading partner, while Mexico is number three.

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