Peña signs deal with Israeli pres.

Thursday, 28 November 2013 00:10
By Maurilio Soto
The News


MEXICO CITY – Israeli President Shimon Peres on a visit to Mexico City on Wednesday said that Mexico is waking up Latin America and that Israel would like to contribute to the region.

Peres talked of his hopes of reaching an Israeli-Palestinian peace deal. “We were not born to be enemies nor to dominate other peoples, much less to take land away from others, we were born for peace. I am delighted that peace negotiations have been restored and are now underway between the Palestinians and ourselves.

We are determined to reach a complete agreement. We have agreed that the answer to the conflict should be based in a two-state solution. Two states for two peoples. Peace is urgent as well as possible. It is the best alternative,” said Peres.

President Peña Nieto said, “I had the opportunity to explain to him what Mexico is doing to achieve greater development and well-being for Mexicans. He shared with me his appreciation for the transformative agenda and changes we have put into motion in the last few months.”

A total of seven agreements were signed between the two countries, deals which Peres said “focus on the path of economic development and dynamism for both countries.”

“A mutual assistance agreement between ProMéxico and the Israeli International Cooperation and Exportation Institute was signed for export credit cooperation between the National Bank of Foreign Trade (Bancomext) and Ashr’a Israeli Foreign Trade Risks Insurance Corporation,” said Peres.

There was also an agreement signed between the Mexican National Water Commission (Conagua) and the Israeli state-run water corporation Merokot, with the purpose of assistance and technical cooperation for the formulation of protection and remediation strategies of subterranean water quality. Specifics were not given on particular aspects of the agreement.

Another agreement was also reached between National Polytechnic Institute and Adin Holdings of Israel, an international end-to-end water treatment solutions provider.

Shimon Peres was accompanied by 80 businessmen during his first trip to Mexico since taking the presidency in 2007. He and his business associates see Mexico as a “very promising market.”