41st Annual Conference on the Americas Highlights Hemispheric Priorities

May 11, 2011

Washington DC, May 11, 2011 - The 41st Annual Conference on the Americas, held today at the U.S. State Department, hosted some of the hemisphere's foremost public and private sector leaders to address hemispheric prorities including trade, investment, security, bilateral relations, energy, and elections.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton emphasized: "There is power in our proximity," adding, "For our security and strategic interests, we have to design an architecture of cooperation, and we are looking more and more to increasingly capable partners in the hemisphere."

Salvadoran President Mauricio Funes, who AS/COA President and CEO Susan Segal applauded in her introduction for his pragmatic leadership, spoke about his country's efforts to combat organized crime, saying, "We are conscious that these are large battles...The effort that we are making and that we should be making is a big one."

Senator John McCain stressed the urgency of passing the pending free trade agreements by the U.S. Congress' August recess, saying, “It's very important that we have a schedule to get this thing done."

Mexican President Felipe Calderón addressed a number of issues in his keynote remarks, including economic integration, security, and immigration issues, saying of the latter: "We need to start viewing immigration as an economic phenomenon." He noted the positive impact of NAFTA on the Mexican economy and forecast Mexico's economic growth in 2011 to approach 5 percent, adding, "There is still much to be done in order to reach our growth potential."

For complete conference coverage, including agenda and presentations, click here.

PRESS INQUIRIES: Please contact AS/COA Communications Manager Alex Andrews at aandrews@as-coa.org or (212) 277-8384.

Council of the Americas is the premier international business organization whose members share a common commitment  to economic and social development, open markets, the rule of law, and democracy throughout the Western Hemisphere.

See more in:  United States, Mexico, El Salvador, Trade & NAFTA, Security, Energy & Commodities, Education & Social Inclusion, Economics & Finance, Democracy & Elections