Ambassador of Mexico Juan JosÈ Bremer Despite Differences, Good Friends Make Good Neighbors by Larry Luxner Despite the contentious issues of immigration, drug trafficking and foreign policy that for years have clouded U.S.-Mexican relations, Mexicoís ambassador in Washington insists the two countries are closer and more united than ever before. Juan JosÈ Bremer, who presented his credentials to President Bush on Feb. 14, 2001, is a master at presenting the complex bilateral alliance as one that is between best friends who rarely argue and almost never have any serious disagreements. ìWithout exaggerating, there isnít a more intense, wide and deep relationship between two nations than the one that exists between Mexico and the United States,î he told The Washington Diplomat during a recent interview at his sumptuous official residence on Loughboro Road, NW. ìOur countries are connected by multiple tracks. We have strong communications on a day-to-day basis, a very fluid diplomatic dialogue and growing economic interaction.î The most obvious connection between the two nations is the 1,989 mile-long border that Mexico shares with four states: California, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas. Every day, around 900,000 people cross the border, known in Spanish as la frontera, and more than 80 percent of Mexicoís total exports flow across the border, which is lined with several thousand factories that take advantage of Mexicoís relatively cheap labor wages. One area where Mexico and the United States disagreed rather sharply was Iraq. Earlier this year, the Vicente Fox governmentóreflecting strong anti-war sentiment at homeócame out strongly against unilateral U.S. action in Iraq and initially refused to support the Bush administrationís position in the United Nations. Mexicoís U.N. envoy, Adolfo Aguilar Zinger, then-president of the U.N. Security Council, told The Washington Diplomat at the time that he wasnít worried about possible political repercussions by the White House against his country. ìMexico does not approach this thing from the perspective of having repercussions because we participate in global affairs through the United Nations,î Zinger said. ìThis is a fundamental dimension of our foreign policy.î Yet Bremer downplays the two countriesí starkly different approaches to the Iraq problem. ìIím absolutely convinced weíve gone past this,î he says. ìWe tried to play a constructive role. Mexico has been very active in foreign policy, and I wouldnít overemphasize the importance of these differences of opinion. We have left them behind.î An area where both countries greatly benefit is in trade relations. According to Bremer, ìWe buy more American products than the United Kingdom, Germany, France and Italy combined. We buy 14 cents of every dollar the United States exports and account for 12 cents of every dollar in U.S. imports.î In 2001, the United States accounted for $20.9 billion in foreign direct investment, or nearly 85 percent of all FDI in Mexico. All of this has helped boost Mexicoís annual per-capita income to more than $6,300óalthough thatís still less than a fifth of per-capita income in the United States. As ambassador, Bremer says his biggest challenge is improving the social and economic conditions of his 100 million countrymen. ìIn the future, Mexico wonít face the same social and demographic pressures it has today. Our birth rate has come down drastically,î says Bremer, the latest in a long line of distinguished diplomats beginning with JosÈ Manuel Zozaya Bermudez, who was named Mexicoís first envoy to Washington back in 1822. ìIn these last 10 years, we have come a long way. Economically, we were one of the most protectionist countries in the world, and now we are one of the most open,î he says. ìWe dared to sign a free trade agreement with the most important economy in the world, and weíre doing well.î Thanks to the North American Free Trade Agreement, Mexico has displaced Japan to become Americaís second-largest trading partner after Canada. In 2002, bilateral trade came to $232 billion, up from $81.6 billion in 1993, the year before NAFTA took effect. At present, Mexico hosts the largest number of Americans permanently living outside the United States (more than 1 million) and boasts more consulates in this country (45) than any other. Mexico also receives an estimated $12 billion in family remittances annually from its citizens working legally and illegally north of the RÌo Grande. ìThere are 14 million Americans of Mexican origin, and 8.5 million Mexican workers contributing to the American economy,î Bremer says, noting that Mexicans now account for 27 percent of all foreign-born Americans. ìLast but not least, we also have a very rich and growing cultural presence in the social texture of this great society.î Bremer, who earned his law degree from Mexicoís National Autonomous University in 1966, knows something about culture. Before entering the diplomatic world, the Mexico City native was head of his countryís National Fine Arts Institute from 1976 to 1982. Following that, Bremer, 59, was appointed Mexicoís ambassador to Sweden (1982), the former Soviet Union (1988-90), Germany (1990-98) and Spain (1998-2000). As such, the seasoned diplomat had a front-row seat to the reunification of East and West Germany and the breakup of the USSR, among other memorable events. ìIíve been very fortunate because Iíve been posted in places where dramatic changes have taken place,î he says. ìItís a privilege to live in interesting times instead of business as usual. Now I am here in the United States in decisive moments also.î Nothing, however, could have prepared the Mexican envoy for Sept. 11, 2001óa day of horror that not only shocked the world but also derailed sensitive bilateral talks to ìregularizeî millions of undocumented Mexican aliens living in the United States illegally. ìThe main consequence of 9/11 was that security has become a very high priority for the United States,î the ambassador says. ìIt was more than natural that the U.S. would focus on this problem, and Mexico understood that immediately. We are cooperating with the American authorities to keep our border open and efficient, and now the time is coming again to put this issue again in movement.î Yet in a recent interview with the Spanish-language television network UnivisiÛn, Secretary of State Colin Powell conceded that the Bush administration wonít offer the general amnesty for the millions of undocumented Mexican aliens that Mexican President Vicente Fox has long demanded. ìWe are trying to find the right answers,î Powell told UnivisiÛn. ìIt is not practical to think that an amnesty of some kind could be granted for all those who are not here with proper documentation. That would not be reasonable to assume, and I would not wish to mislead anyone.î Bremer declines to discuss the negotiations or comment on the specific positions of U.S. leaders, explaining, ìThis is a touchy issue that I as a diplomat approach with great prudence. The most important thing is not to talk about it publicly, but to try to engage the American government.î The cautious envoy adds, ìOne of the characteristics of the Mexican-American relationship is that some problems have both a domestic and a bilateral component. Sometimes it gets more attention in the media, sometimes less, but the importance of the Mexican-American relationship is here to stay. ìMy personal opinion is that it does more good to find adequate solutions than airing these problems publicly. Iím convinced that our two countries will find the proper formulas,î Bremer says. Half a dozen times during our interview, the ambassador sidestepped other controversial subjects raised by The Washington Diplomat, including Mexicoís close relationship with Cuba, proposals by the Fox government to privatize state-owned oil entity Pemex (ìI wonít elaborate on thatî) and the replacement earlier this year of Mexicoís outspoken foreign minister, Jorge CastaÒeda, with LuÌs Ernesto Derbez. ìOne of the basic rules I follow in my career is to just speak about my current responsibilities,î says Bremer. ìI am a bad political analyst. My country is full of intelligent political analysts [with] plenty of opinions to digest, and foreign policy is the responsibility of the president.î However, one thing is clear: Bush and Fox are no longer the best buddies they appeared to be at the beginning of their presidencies in early 2001. Last year, Bush welcomed the ambassador and a crowd of Mexican-American dignitaries to a party in the East Room of the White House for Cinco de Mayo, an annual fiesta that celebrates Mexicoís 1862 victory over the French at t he Battle of Puebla. As Copley News Service reported, ìThe president introduced mariachis and gave a speech hailing Fox as a ëgreat Mexican patriot, a man of honest talk and convictions.í This year, Bush settled for a brief statement that didnít even mention Foxís name. In the absence of White House festivities, Ambassador Juan JosÈ Bremer this year hosted a celebrationówith mariachis, margaritas and chilis rellenosóat the Mexican Cultural Institute.î Yet Bremer insists nothing is wrong. ìIíve been present at all the meetings between our two presidents, and they have extraordinary communications,î he told the Diplomat. ìThere is splendid chemistry between them. On the other hand, heads of state understand that in certain issues, they have to respond to their own national interests. Thatís part of reality, but you would be surprised to see the common ground that we have created.î For example, Bremer says that annual drug certificationóa set of requirements established by the Clinton administration to determine how nations were cooperating with the war on drugsóìused to be a permanent irritant. These days, there is an unprecedented spirit of cooperation between law enforcement authorities in both countries. In the last three years, the Fox and Bush administrations have made tremendous progress in the fight against narco-trafficking. Now, nobody even talks about it.î On another subject, Bremer says he strongly supports the idea of extending NAFTA to Central and South America because it will stimulate the regionís economies, but he cautions that a Free Trade Area of the Americas ìis not a magic formula that will solve all our problems. You need to combine trade with a basket of social policies. Right now, we are trying to channel investments to marginalized social areas like Chiapas state which are responsible for the most immigration.î In the meantime, Bremer says his No. 1 concern is ìbringing safety to the border and trying to combat the human traffickingî that led to the deaths of 300 Mexicans last year. ìThe Mexican-American relationship still has pending issues to tackle, and we are developing imaginative projects that havenít gotten the attention they deserve,î he says, adding that ìmy work is a never-ending story. Each day has its own dynamics and surprises.î Asked if there is anything he doesnít like about his job, Bremer responds: ìNot at all. I learn every day.î Larry Luxner is a contributing writer for The Washington Diplomat.