Today's Trilateral Summit In Waco To Include North American Airport Screening A

Leaders attending today's North American summit in Texas are expected to agree to work together on developing continent-wide screening processes for incoming airport travellers and cargo, The Globe and Mail has learned.

The agreement is part of a comprehensive work plan to be signed by U.S. President George W. Bush, Prime Minister Paul Martin and Mexican President Vicente Fox. The plan is an expanded version of a partnership deal agreed to by Mr. Bush and Mr. Martin last November when the two leaders met in Ottawa.

According to a draft document put together March 18, the three leaders would "develop and implement a North American travellers security strategy to include consistent outcomes and compatible processes for screening methods before departure from a foreign port and at the first port of entry to North America."

The agreement would look at how the three countries could share information on "high-risk travellers."

Full story: Border security on summit agenda

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Voice of America: Bush to Meet with Leaders of Canada, Mexico in Texas

President Bush will receive Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin and Mexican President Vicente Fox at his ranch in Texas Wednesday. The three leaders will hold talks early in the day at Baylor University in nearby Waco, Texas to initiate a new trilateral association. Security and economic growth are both part of the plan.

Senior Administration officials say the trilateral meeting in Waco will set the stage for the development of what they call "enduring mechanisms" to promote greater security and prosperity for all three North American nations. They say this new structure would not replace or alter the North American Free Trade Agreement, known as NAFTA, which already provides strong trade links between the three countries. The Bush administration officials say the new initiative would involve working groups from ministries in all three nations that would develop and facilitate specific mechanisms to promote security and prosperity.

Speaking to reporters in Mexico City Tuesday, U.S. Ambassador Tony Garza provided a clearer view of what the new structure might entail. He called it the "North American Association for Security and Prosperity." Ambassador Garza said the working groups would involve officials designated by cabinet members in each nation who would be charged with putting together a specific plan and calendar of action before June.

Full story: Bush to Meet with Leaders of Canada, Mexico in Texas