Immigration Tops Agenda at North American Summit

布什与墨西哥总统讨论移民等问题

　



President Bush is in New Orleans, playing host to his North American counterparts, Mexican President Felipe Calderon and Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper. Immigration was a top issue with President Calderon.

　

布什总统正在新奥尔良接待北美国家元首--墨西哥总统卡尔德龙和加拿大总理哈珀。移民问题是布什和卡尔德龙会谈的主要议题。

President Bush accompanied President Calderon to the opening of Mexico's newest consulate here in New Orleans. The previous consulate located here had been Mexico's oldest one, opened in 1822, shortly after the country gained independence from Spain. It was closed in 2002, but thousands of Mexican laborers have come to New Orleans since the city was devastated by Hurricane Katrina in August 2005 to work on reconstruction projects.

　

布什总统陪同墨西哥总统卡尔德龙参加墨西哥在新奥尔良新设领事馆的开幕式。原先的墨西哥领事馆是墨西哥在国外最老的领事馆，是1822年墨西哥刚从西班牙独立后开设的，这个领事馆在2002年关闭。可是自从2005年8月新奥尔良遭到卡特里娜飓风破坏后，成千上万的墨西哥劳工来到这里参加建筑项目。

At the opening of the consulate, President Calderon, said Mexico wants to assist and protect its citizens in the states of Louisiana and Mississippi that the consulate will serve.

　

在新领事馆的开幕式上，卡尔德龙总统说，墨西哥希望帮助和保护领事馆服务范围内的墨西哥公民。新领事馆服务范围包括路易斯安那州和密西西比州。

"With the reopening of this consulate, we will be able to guarantee those Mexicans who live and work in Louisiana and Mississippi that they will have the support of the Mexican government," said President Calderon. "It is my commitment that no matter where there is a Mexican citizen, he or she will also have the support of our government."

　

他说：“我们希望重新开设这个领事馆之后可以保障那些生活和居住在路易斯安那州和密西西比州的墨西哥人，他们会得到墨西哥政府的支持。我保证，不管墨西哥人在哪里，他们都会得到我们政府的支持。”

Around 30,000 Mexicans are in the New Orleans area now, part of an influx of workers from various parts of Latin America drawn here by jobs in clean up and construction. President Calderon called this flow of labor a natural consequence of the United States having an advantage in capital and Mexico having an advantage in labor.

　

目前，新奥尔良大约有3万名墨西哥人，他们是到从拉丁美洲各国到这里来寻找清理和建筑工作的工人中的一部分。卡尔德龙总统说，这种劳动力流动是美国资本优势和墨西哥劳动力优势的自然结果。

"For that reason, I know that we must have a comprehensive vision in this area, in the area of migration, which will allow us to work together in order to build a more prosperous and safer North American continent," he said.

　

相关人士提出了一个客籍工人的计划，这个计划将允许墨西哥人用临时工作签证进入美国。

While President Bush favors a guest worker program that would allow Mexicans to enter the United States on temporary work visas, Congress set aside the issue after opponents attacked it as an amnesty. Immigration has ceased being a major issue in the US presidential campaign since all three remaining candidates favor some sort of comprehensive reform, but also support stricter enforcement at the border.

　

虽然布什总统支持采用这个计划，反对这项计划的人们却攻击它等于是大赦非法移民，美国国会因此搁置了这个计划。移民问题已经不再是美国总统竞选的主要议题，因为所有三位仍在竞选的参选人都赞成实行某种综合性的改革。他们也支持在边境严格执法。

After meeting for a private conversation with President Calderon, President Bush praised bilateral efforts to fight drug traffickers.

　

布什总统会见墨西哥总统卡尔德龙并举行私下会晤以后赞扬双边努力，打击毒品走私。

"We got to work hard on our side to make sure we reduce drug use and, at the same time, work with you in close coordination to defeat these drug traffickers," said President Bush. "We need to continue our initiative that we started during your administration, Mr. President, to deal with arms trafficking, arms coming from the United States into Mexico."

　

布什说：“美国方面必须努力工作，确保减少毒品的使用，同时，美国还将同墨西哥加强合作，击败毒品走私犯。我们需要继续努力，对付武器走私。我指的是从美国走私武器进入墨西哥，这些努力是在卡尔德龙总统执政期间开始的。”

Canada's Prime Minister is focusing mostly on trade issues at this tri-lateral meeting, but he is also expected to discuss a particular border issue with President Bush, that being the need to expand the bridge that joins the US city of Detroit and the Canadian city of Windsor. The bridge was opened in 1929, when there was much less traffic between the two countries. Now, partly as a result of the North American Free Trade Agreement, traffic has grown dramatically.

　

在这次三边会晤中，加拿大总理将主要讨论贸易问题。但是他也会跟布什讨论一个特别的边境问题，那就是需要拓宽连接美国城市底特律和加拿大城市温莎的桥梁，那座桥在1929年通车，那时候两国间的车辆往来比现在少很多。部分由于北美自由贸易协定的关系，桥上的交通流量急剧增加。

The three North American leaders will attend a dinner Monday evening and then hold formal talks Tuesday morning.

　

三位北美国家的领导人星期一晚上出席晚宴，然后在星期二正式举行会谈。