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- BUSINESS, Page 60Business NotesTRADEHands Across The Rio Grande
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- On his first visit to Washington since he took office last
- December, Mexican President Carlos Salinas de Gortari wanted to do
- more than exchange pleasantries with the Bush Administration. As
- it happened, he was able to cap his three-day trip with a flourish
- last week when he and President Bush signed an agreement to promote
- free trade and investment between the two countries. At a White
- House signing ceremony, Bush hailed the pact as evidence of "the
- special relationship" between the U.S. and Mexico.
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- The accord requires the two parties to identify by next month
- industries and export products that could benefit from lower
- tariffs, and then gradually to reduce those duties. U.S.
- Administration officials said the affected products would most
- probably include processed foods, petrochemicals, electronic
- equipment and automobiles.
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- Mexico, which ships about two-thirds of its $21 billion in
- export wares to U.S. markets, hopes the Washington agreement will
- make it easier to sell more goods to its neighbor. Stronger export
- sales would help finance the country's $100 billion foreign debt.