Pompeo in Mexico to meet Lopez Obrador

Visit is intended to demonstrate the importance of US-Mexico relations

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo led a Cabinetlevel delegation to Mexico yesterday on the heels of a sea-change election there that could offer a chance for the neighbours to repair strained relations — or make them worse.

US-Mexico ties have deteriorated significantly under President Donald Trump, who campaigned on building a border wall and who has repeatedly blamed Mexico for economic and social problems in the United States.

Most recently, tit-for-tat trade tariffs between Mexico and the US amid tense negotiations over the North American Free Trade Agreement, or NAFTA, have sparked fears of an all-out trade war. Trump has branded the free trade pact, which also includes Canada, as a job killer for Americans.

However, following the landslide victory of leftist Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, tensions have eased. Both leaders made positive statements following a telephone call earlier this month’ the wall was not mentioned. Lopez Obrador will replace President Enrique Pena Nieto in December.

JoiningPompeowasTrump’s son-in-law and White House adviser Jared Kushner, who has played a key role in maintaining relations with Mexico, in part because of his close ties to the foreign secretary of the current government, Luis Videgaray. Also in the delegation are Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen.

The State Department said the visit is intended to demonstrate the strength and importance of US-Mexico relations and the Trump administration’s eagerness to work with the incoming government. The entire delegation will meet separately with Pena Nieto and Lopez Obrador and discuss ways to combat transnational criminal organisations, the opioid epidemic in the US, trade tensions and irregular migration.

Immigration issues

Sharing a nearly 3,200-kilometre border, Mexico and the United States have traditionally coordinated closely on security and immigration. Mexico is also the United States’ third-largest trading partner for goods, with the US buying about 80 per cent of Mexico’s exports from automobiles to fruit, vegetables and beer.

One proposed plan is to declare Mexico a ‘safe third country,’ meaning people travelling through Mexico hoping to claim asylum in the US would have to do so in Mexico instead, according to a Mexican official who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to brief the media. However, the official said, the proposal has very little support in Mexico as it would burden the country more.