We both are active participants in the anti-bribery convention of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. We each are signatories of the anti-corruption convention of the Organization of American States. The private sector has a vital role to play in fighting bribery and corruption. Through your internal compliance controls, you ensure that your corporate officials do not engage in corrupt behavior. Through your efforts to strengthen corporate governance, to improve transparency, to ensure compliance with accepted accounting standards and to maintain the trust of shareholders, you strengthen the integrity of business.
Accountable business are an essential part of the fabric of a democratic society.
A second arena for Mexican-U.S. cooperation is the Summit of the Americas. By working together to forge a Free Trade Area of the Americas, we can let the power of free trade and free societies transform lives throughout the Americas. At the Summit of the Americas in Quebec in April, Mexico and the United States should work to accelerate and energize FTAA negotiations. Ladies and gentlemen, we have a historic opportunity to deepen economic cooperation between Mexico and the United States. We look to the private sector to lead the way.