Several Mexican newspapers are reporting that U.S. President Barack Obama will visit Guadalajara next month to take part in the North American Leaders’ Summit.
Although the White House has not confirmed the reports, the stories suggest that intensive preparations for the visit have already started, including the dispatching of a U.S. delegation to tweak the agenda and set schedules for the August 8 to 11 event.
According to a July 3 story in Mexico City daily El Universal, the original plan was to hold the summit in Puerto Vallarta but the White House nixed the idea because it might appear that Obama was taking a holiday at the beach in the middle of an economic recession.
A report in Reforma said Mexican President Felipe Calderon and Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper have confirmed their assistance at the summit.
The North American Leaders’ Summit is an annual meeting that largely focusses on trade and security issues between the three Nafta signatories.
The event was first held in 2005 in Waco, Texas, and was then known as the Security and Prosperity Partnership of North America summit. Subsequent meetings were held in Cancun (March 2006), Ottawa (February 2007), Montebello, Quebec (August 2007) and New Orelans (April 2008).
The U.S. State Department website confirms that summit will be held August 8-11 in Mexico but does not specify a location.
Obama visited Mexico City in mid-April for talks with Calderon – his first major trip outside the United States after becoming president. If he comes to Guadalajara, it will be the first visit to the city by an incumbent U.S. president.
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