George Bush, Felipe Calderón and Stephen Harper, in their statement emanating from New Orleans [2] Summit on the Security and Prosperity Partnership Agreeement (dubbed the "Three Amigos" Summit) said they are "committed to democratic government, the rule of law and respect for individual freedoms," and that the US, Mexico and Canada "have shared interests in keeping North America secure, prosperous, and competitive in today’s global environment." The three leaders moved to extend the Security and Prosperity Partnership, as they did at the Montebello summit [3] last year. (PEJ.org [4], April 24)
Under heavy security, various protests were held against the summit in Jackson Square, including a march by the United Auto Workers. Demonstrations were also held protesting the SPP as the "militarization" of the North American Free Trade Agreement. These protesters seemed to be an amalgam of left and right, with some holding placards that read "US citizens say no to tyranny" and "No North American Union [5]." (Xinhua [6], April 22; Times-Picayune [7], April 21)
See our last posts on Mexico [8], Canada [9] and NAFTA [10].
