WASHINGTON, July 9 (Reuters) - Mexican President-elect Vicente Fox said
on Sunday he backed an open border between his country and the United
States within 10 years to "finish" illegal immigration.

One week after an election victory in which he ended the 71-year
Institutional Revolutionary Party's (PRI) hold on the presidency and
domination of Mexican politics, Fox told ABC television's "This Week"
that Mexico should have the same border policy with the United States as
Canada.

Asked whether he would like to see a totally open border between the
United States and Mexico, Fox said, "Yes, 10 years from now... That's
what we should shoot for, and then we finish with migration, with
illegal migration."

The 58-year-old former Coca-Cola Co. executive said in an interview
conducted in English that he understands his proposal for an open border
may seem radical, but he said it is based on success in Europe following
the easing of migration and employment policies under the European
Union.

"I see some Americans sitting on their couch watching TV and hearing
Vicente Fox saying we are going to open up that border to people. 'Wow,
that's a shock,'" he said.

"But I think it will have wisdom. If we have a long-term view we can
accomplish that. Europe did accomplish that. Migration of Spaniards to
Germany 25 years ago was at the level that we have today between Mexico
and the United States. Today there is no migration."

Some 9 million Mexicans live in the United States. Many do not have
residence permits and enter illegally, crossing the desert and
inhospitable mountain ranges along the countries' 2,100-mile (3,000 km)
border.
Hundreds of people -- estimates range from 500 to 1,500 -- have died of
hypothermia and sunstroke in the attempt.
There have also been recent reports of U.S. ranchers in Arizona and
Texas hunting down and arresting illegal Mexican immigrants trespassing
on their land, and of violent attacks on migrants along the border.

Many other immigrants, bound for the United States in search of work,
get caught up along the way in the thriving but deadly cross-border drug
culture.
Fair treatment of its citizens has long been a demand of Mexico City,
while critics in the United States argue Mexico alone must carry the
blame for citizens who leave in search of jobs and livelihoods.

On Sunday, Fox acknowledged Mexico's share in the problem and reiterated
his goal to create more jobs in Mexico to eliminate the need for
Mexicans to move north. He said as long as a worker in Mexico earns $5
per day and a worker in the United States earns $60, immigration
problems will continue.

"Growing the economy at 7 percent is a need... It is the minimum that we
need in Mexico to build up 1,350,000 new jobs that young people claim in
Mexico every year. If we don't do that, you will keep receiving in the
United more and more immigrants," he said.

Fox will meet with U.S. President Bill Clinton in Washington during the
second half of August. He takes office in Mexico in December.
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It's hardly believable that Fox is the architect of all this babble.
Or the initiator.      The timing of the Clinton/Fox 'summit' is right
following the Democratic Party Convention.

The whole new immigration/ drug war/ bracero program to be proposed by
these 2, was worked out when Fox came to the US in February, and Zedillo
came in May.    And plans were launched to have Zedillo  put Fox into
office.  This is also the second half of the 'Colombian Aid' package
just approved.

What's the connection with Colombia?     A much brighter picture of the
'happiness' that comes to a country like Mexico, that totally cooperates
with neo-liberalism, has to be presented to other countries in Latin
America.      Otherwise they might panic, and try to get offboard the
pressured US alliance.     The 'alliance' underway to quiet the
insurrection in South America.

The US business establishment must be convinced that Al Gore is the man
to keep these policies in motion going forward.      Otherwise,
Clintonism goes down in defeat, come November.

Tony Abdo