LIMA.- Mexico's President Elect, Enrique Peña Nieto stated today that this is "a very promising time for Latin America" despite the international financial crisis because the necessary conditions to improve the economic relations among Latin countries exist.

In the last stop of his Latin-American tour, Peña Nieto met today in Lima with representatives of the Confederation of Business Institutions of Peru (Confiep), the biggest business union in the country.

In front of an audience of businessmen, the Mexican president elect explained that the purpose of his first international tour was making clear "the political will of having a close, fraternal relationship with the people of the countries I have visited (Guatemala, Colombia, Chile, Argentina, Brazil and Peru)."

He added that his visits to Center and South America have allowed him to gain knowledge and have a personal approach to the delineation of common goals, one of which is immigration and the necessary human rights respect agreements for those arriving to Mexico.

Another would be finding the appropriate mechanisms to fight the organized crime present in these countries and dissolving the relationships between criminal groups.

Peña Nieto also emphasized his interest in broadening the commercial relationships and taking advantage of agreements like the Pacific Alliance, signed by Chile, Colombia, Peru and Mexico.

"Economic growth will be the engine of a greater development in social areas," stated the future president.

While explaining the main goals of the Government that will take office on the first of December, Peña Nieto said that they would seek a sustained economic growth with a higher number of employments that would also be better paid.

The new government will likewise strive for a reform in the hydrocarbon industry to allow for the private sector to take part in it, the disposition of more credit in Mexico and the creation of a universal social security system.

Regarding the insecurity in the country due to the drug industry, Peña Nieto said that "the war on organized crime is a task impossible to waive if we want to guarantee public security for our people."

In the same vein, he announced his commitment to establishing "a collaboration and joint effort" with the Governments of the visited countries to share data bases that allow them to better fight organized crime.

"Mexico wants to be a country where people can live safely and I hope rise to the challenge for results (in that sense) to be visible," he said in a later press conference.

Peña Nieto visited the Peruvian president, Ollanta Humala, yesterday at the Palacio de Gobierno in an encounter he qualified as "amiable and fraternal" and to be the first step towards achieving an understanding and to bring both countries closer.

The Mexican investment in Peru reaches 14,000 million dollars while the commercial exchange is of 2,000 million dollars, said the president elect, trusting these figures to go up with the free trade agreement which came in force this year.

Editorial@sandiegored.com

Original text : EFE Agency

Translation: Karen.balderas@sandiegored.com