oomntttnngsiot ee egy RN aaa eng ES CPs of Canada, Mexico Sign joint communique On February 14, 1979, a meeting between representatives of the Communist Party of Canada and the Communist Party of Mexico took place in Mexico City. Present were Bruce Magnuson, a member of the Secretariat, the Central Executive Committee and the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Canada. Marcos Posadas, member of the Executive Commis- sion and Secretariat of the Central Committee headed the delegation of the Mexican Communist Party. Points covered in the discussion between the two delegations covered matters of mutual concern to our two countries and of the two fraternal parties, with particular reference to : * * * 1) World peace and the struggle for détente and disarmament based on conditions of equality dnd mutual guarantees of security, a battle which coincides with the best interests of humanity. They agreed on the need of a ban on the use of force as a means of settling international disputes and, the need for peaceful coexistence between all nations irrespective of economic and social systems; 2) They declared themselves in favor of defence and extension of democracy and the basic rights of the working class and all working people, including the right to a job and a decent income and, the equality of rights for all immigrants; 3) They declared their determination to struggle for a curb on the power of multinational corporations to exploit our people and our natural resources to achieve monopoly super-profits at the expense of our respective countries and their people; 4) They agreed to intensify mutual efforts directed toward the achievement of higher living standards based on full employment and the development of science and technology to the utmost advantage for the development of natural resources based on public ownership and democratic control. 5) It was mutually agreed that, the people of our two countries have nothing to gain but, on the contrary a lot to lose, by the policy of North American monopolies integrating the United States, Canada and Mexico into one market to ensure maximum profits and more favorable conditions in their international competitive struggle for markets at the expense of the working people. The way out of the crisis lies in the adoption of new economic policies based on public ownership and democratic control, to prevent foreign and domestic monopoly capital from dominating economic’ developments and, to achieve an investment policy based on independent economic development of all natural resources, such as gas and oil for such development. 6) At this crucial moment our two parties will strive to cooperate to the utmost in the interests of the working class of all working people and democratic forces in our two countries and, to strengthen the forces of peace, democracy and socialism on a world-wide scale. Carter gets a rough ride looking for Mexican oil Speculation on the difficulties estimated potential of 200 billion ee U.S. President Carter would face during his visit to Mexico follow- ing decades of U.S. exploitation of its southern neighbor proved correct. In fact, the degree of difficulty was underestimated because Car- ter arrived in a Mexico not over- whelmed by U.S. overtures nor impressed with several recent U.S. actions toward it. ‘Among permanent, not casual neigh- bors,” Mexican president Jose Lopez Portillo told Carter public- ly, “surprise moves and sudden deceit or abuse are poisonous fruits that sooner or later have a reverse effect.’ Portillo was referring spec- ifically to U.S. Energy Secretary Schlesinger’s high-handed treat- ment of Mexico last month when he torpedoed an already con- cluded agreement with that coun- try fora gas pipeline deal by trying to drive down the price. Carter's visit last week came at a time when Mexico is at the be- ginning of an oil boom from which the U.S. hopes it can benefit especially given recent events in the Persian Gulf region. Mexico now has proven oil re- serves of 40 billion bbls. and an bbls. (Saudi Arabia, for example, has known reserves of 166 billion bbls.) which makes Mexico an at- tractive future U.S. source. Another thorn Carter faced was U.S. policy toward Mexican im- migration and a proposal by U.S. authorities to seal sections of the border with steel mesh fencing. Mexico also asked for a lowering of barriers on agricultural pro- ducts sold to the U.S. and a re- sumption of the natural gas negotiations which Schlesinge stopped. E Time Magazine, in a story on the trip, put two statements back-to-back in an amazing exer- cise in logic: ‘‘The special rela- tionship with the U.S. has ena- bled Mexico to achieve one of the fastest growing economies in the Third World; its gross national product after several very bad years, is once.again increasing by about 6% a year. But the majority of Mexicans live in bleak poverty; per capita income was $1,070 a year in 1974, one-sixth of what it was in the U.S. Moreover, Mexico has one of the world’s highest unemployment rates, up to half its workforce by some es- timates.”’ PACIFIC TRIBUNE— MARCH 2, 1979— Page 6 By BRUCE YORKE & HELEN O’SHAUGHNESSY The -big tourist ads say — Visit Mexico, the Amigo Country — and this past December we did just that, spending three weeks in the only other country besides Canada which has a common boundary with the United States. _ Strong as the growing United -States influence is in Mexico, it is not so appa- rent or dominant as in Canada, especially in the linguistic and cultural field. Mexico has five main native ‘‘Indian’’ cultures, all of which have been modified to some extent as a result of the Spanish conquest in the 16th century. Mexico is extremely rich in popular art and handicrafts. Its architecture, both colonial and modern, is very striking. Its dances, posadas, mariachias, and color- ful balloons and parades delight people of all ages. Its archeological ruins — Aztec, Olmec, Zapotec and Mayan — are world famous. Its beaches, its. semi+tropical carib- bean sugar, coffee and tobacco fields, its pine forests, its volcanoes and its many mountain peaks offer countless tourist attractions. Everywhere one goes’ one sees Mexico’s ‘revolutionary heritage com- memorated in monuments, parks, streets and buildings. Public, outdoor murals by world famous Communist artists David Alfaro Siqueiros and Diego Rivera and others like Orozco, O’ Higgins, Belkin, pay tribute to national heroes Benito Juarez, Miguel Hidalgo, Emiliano Zapa- ta, Pancho Villa and scores of others. The Economy But there is another Mexico that most tourists don’t see; the Mexico of every- day reality. At the present:time Mexico’s popula- tion is 65 million and growing at the high rate of 3.5% a year. There is a big influx of people into Mexico City, whose population is now over 10 million and growing at the rate of one thousand a day. In the past two years there has been a 30% drop in the already low level of real wages. Over ten million workers are without jobs; 45% of the labor force is either partially or fully unemployed. The $40-billion external debt, is held mainly in the U.S. hands. Although U.S. imperialism’s direct investment in the economy is but 7.5%, in conjunction with various Mexican monopoly groups and the Mexican state, this small percen- tage is enough to exercise a stranglehold on'the economy, including sections which are nationalized, such as the im- mensely important petroleum industry. Two years ago the Mexican currency was Savagely devaluated. A peso which used to be worth eight cents is now val- ued at four and a half. The effect,on living standards has been very severe. Millions upon millions sim-. ply ‘‘exist’’ by their wits, on a day to day basis. They scrape together a peso or two here or there doing odd ‘‘service”’ jobs, shining shoes, petty thieving, et- cetera. Thousands upon thousands are homeless and sleep in the streets. The Political System The Party of Revolutionary Institu- tions (PRI), whose origins go back to the national revolutionary upsurge in the 1910-1917 period, has cleverly ruled the country under a one-party, bourgeois nationalist dictatorship. The PRI is con- trolled by the main monopoly groups in Mexico, but it also includes the main _ **so-called’’ working-class leaders. However, for the first time since the thirties big political changes are taking place which threaten the PRI’s rule. These changes began to surface during the last presidential election (Mexican presidents hold office for one six-year term only). In the 1976 presidential election there were four “‘legal’’ parties — the PRI, two satellite parties which supported the PRI, and the PAN, the only ‘“‘legal’’ op- position party. The two satellite parties naturally did not run a candidate and the PAN could not agree on a presidential candidate and hence did not run. The Helen O’Shaughnessy at the monument to Carmelita Serdan who led the resistance against the Diaz dictatorship in Puebla during the 1910-1917 period.