1. Paper presented by
Abdelhamied ElRafie
For the Masters Program
On International Relations
About The Relation between
The NAFTA Summit and
The World Economic Forum
meeting on Cancun

2. 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

3. 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 .