Paper presented byAbdelhamied ElRafie

For the Masters Program On International Relations

About The Relation between The NAFTA Summit and

The World Economic Forum meeting on Cancun

The Join press release between Presidents of Mexico and Ecuador stated that :

“We repeat our total support of the contents and mandates of the Resolution unanimously adopted on March 17, 2008 by the 25th Consultation of the OAS Ministers of Foreign Affairs, which rejected the violation of Ecuadorian sovereignty and repeated the hemisphere's commitment to the basic principles of respect for sovereignty and non-interference with states' internal affairs and regional cooperation against groups outside the law and entrusted the Secretary General of the OAS to make every effort to comply with this Resolution and contribute to the creation of a climate of trust that will normalize relations between Ecuador and Colombia.

We both support the efforts of the OAS Secretary General and hope that they will constitute a starting point for a renewed bilateral relationship between Ecuador and Colombia that will preserve the interests of the two countries, with respect for their sovereignty and territorial integrity; promote the development of a positive bi-national agenda in the economic, social and cultural fields and encourage cooperation in the field of security and fighting organized crime, with respect for international law and the laws of each country.

We send our condolences to the families of our fellow countrymen who lost their lives on March 1, 2008 who, beyond personal circumstances, enjoy rights protected by our respective laws and we express the will of our governments to support, as far as possible, their demands for justice, and in this respect, to ensure that the investigations undertaken by the judicial authorities on these unfortunate events are completed as soon as possible”.The NAFTA Summit:

President Bush used a summit meeting on the 23rd of April with the leaders of Mexico and Canada to push for congressional approval of a controversial free-trade pact with Colombia and to reiterate his belief that the struggling US economy is not experiencing a recession.

President Calderón also indicated he would like to see Congress approve the Colombia deal. "It's extremely important, I think, to bear in mind that when you provide more opportunities for trade in the Latin American region, there will be many more opportunities for prosperity," he said.

As part of his economic legacy, Bush has been hoping to end his term with approval of free-trade deals with Colombia, Panama, and South Korea, but the proposals have met resistance from congressional Democrats. Although the Colombia trade deal would lift tariffs on various US products, organized labor and human rights activists have said Bogota has not done enough to curb the killings of labor union members, an accusation the administration disputes.

Under US law, Congress has 60 days to consider a trade deal. But after Bush sent the Colombia deal to Capitol Hill this month, Pelosi gained approval for a rule change that

effectively halted the clock on consideration of the pact. She said the trade deal did not have the votes to pass and other economic legislation was more pressing.

The World Economic Forum on Latin America:

The Report issued by the forum stated that “ This year took place as the world focused with perplexity and concern on the global financial turbulence and its potential risks and serious implications for the world economy. This unique gathering also took place as the region closed a five-year cycle of economic growth of over 5% per annum, income per capita growth of over 3% per annum, international reserves of over US$ 450 billion, poverty rates reduced from 44% to 35%, and FDI inflows having reached US$ 95 billion in 2007.

While the region’s economy has performed well, the enormous social challenges it is confronting demand continued efforts to make growth more inclusive. The 500 leaders from business, government and civil society from over 40 countries turned the World Economic Forum on Latin America into an exceedingly relevant gathering. Together this unique multistake holder group evaluated the trends and changes in the global economy, in the political arena, in trade relations between Asia and Latin America as well as developments affecting investment to stimulate regional growth and the search for innovation in business and social affairs. The agenda included a regional overview of business and political strategies in five spheres: geopolitics; competitiveness; energy security; growth with income distribution; and innovation related to security, climate change and the preservation of biodiversity “.

Final Analysis:

The dispute between Ecuador and Colombia is protracted and became a multi party dispute but concerning one third party like Mexico it’s a very complicated issue , from one hand it has its citizens killed so there is an internal pressure for the weak response by the government ,on the other hand it has its complicated relations with Colombia as we have seen in the part of the NAFTA summit in this paper that Calderon is supporting the FT A between the US and Colombia , Finally The WEFLA meeting in Cancun as its clear from the preface of the report quoted in the third part of the paper holds the values of free trade and acknowledges the facts of social challenges but it supports strongly the path of Globalization values .