North American leaders end 'constructive' summit

MONTEBELLO, Canada (AFP) - North American leaders wrapped up a two-day summit here yesterday, praising close ties between the neighbors and announcing cooperation on wide-ranging issues such as energy, environment and consumer protection.

The trilateral talks were "as cordial as they were constructive," said host Prime Minister Stephen Harper, flanked by US President George W. Bush and Mexico's President Felipe Calderon.

"Canada, the United States, and Mexico are good neighbors and good friends," said Harper at a closing press conference.

"As sovereign countries in the modern world, we are both independent and interdependent. And we're committed to working together on mutual security, continued economic growth, and expanding our unique North American relationship."

Harper said the trio agreed "to work together on consumer protection," following recent recalls of toys, dog food and toothpaste, and growing worries about defective "made in China" goods, imported into North America.

They also broached climate change, upcoming APEC talks, pandemic planning, border security, the Middle East and Haiti "where all three of our countries are working to advance freedom, democracy, and development for the most impoverished people," he said.

The meeting, the third installment of the Security and Prosperity Partnership summit, was aimed at harmonizing rules on trade and security across North America.

"It's in our interests that the Canadian lifestyle be as strong as it is, and it's our interest that prosperity spread to Mexico," Bush said.

"If you're a US citizen, you want people that live close to you to be prosperous. The more prosperity in your neighbourhood, the more hopeful your neighborhood is."

The partnership was launched at the first "Three Amigos" summit in Waco, Texas, in March 2005, but has been attacked by activists, labor groups and academics critical of its business focus.

Over the past year, the three nations achieved agreements on regulatory cooperation, pandemics, and intellectual property laws, said Harper.

"Our countries are already working together to develop clean and sustainable energy, and we're cooperating on national fuel efficiency standards," he said.

"Finally, we agreed that border security measures, critical as they are, cannot threaten the bonds of friendship or commerce between us," he said.

Thus, new procedures at the border in case of disaster to avoid future border traffic interruptions were announced.

Billions of dollars in trade were lost following the US border clampdown after the September 11, 2001 terror attacks in the United States.

Protests which met the start of the talks had faded by early yesterday. Four demonstrators were arrested and five police were injured Monday.

Calderon separately said he would cancel a planned extra day after the summit for talks with Harper as deadly Hurricane Dean rampaged through southern Mexico.

On the summit sidelines, Bush and Harper discussed Afghanistan unrest and Canada's disputed Arctic grab, while Bush and Calderon confered on immigration and efforts to curb drug trafficking.