Outgoing U.S. ambassador to Mexico John Negroponte said Saturday that the pending North American Free Trade Agreement, if approved, could lead to economic unification throughout the Western Hemisphere by "the next generation."
Negroponte, who left Mexico Saturday and will take over the top diplomatic post in the Philippines, said he expects the U.S. Congress to approve NAFTA before the end of the year and that the pact could lead to formation of other trade accords in the region."I don't think it's inconceivable to think of this by the next generation, an integration of all the countries of the hemisphere," Negro-ponte said at a press conference in the Mexican capital before flying to the United States. But he added that "it's indispensable to approve NAFTA as the first step toward this goal."
NAFTA, which would knock down the economic borders between the United States, Canada and Mexico over a 15-year period, faces a tough battle in Congress.
But Negroponte, who was appointed ambassador to Mexico in 1989, said when NAFTA is debated in the U.S. Congress, "people are going to realize that this is definitely in the interests of the United States" and the pact will be approved.
Negroponte said his efforts pushing for passage of NAFTA have been the most important aspect of his work in Mexico.
But he said relations between Mexico and the United States have also been marked by advances in commerce, protection of the environment and the drug war.