Washington - The House of Representatives on Tuesday approved a bill banning the access of Mexican trucks on U.S. territory, contrary to standard North American Free Trade Agreement in force between the United States, Mexico and Canada.
The bill, which passed by 395 votes in favour and 18 against, to be sent to the Senate, prohibits the secretary of Transportation to grant permission for Mexican trucks entering beyond the commercial strip border, unless there is legislative authorization.
But before the vote, the White House threatened to veto a possible and expressed its "strong opposition" to the measure, under the argument that would prevent the United States comply with its obligations under NAFTA, in force since January 1994.
"If (the initiative) was presented to the president, his senior advisers would recommend that the veto law," said the official statement from the White House.
The Mexican government was declared by his party "deeply concerned" by the initiative of the House of Representatives and noted that if enacted would explore response measures under the legal mechanisms of NAFTA.
"Mexico has fulfilled its obligations to NAFTA and hopes that the U.S. will do the same. If the initiative becomes law, the Mexican government to consider all appropriate actions, including remedies or counter-measures under NAFTA," said the Mexican embassy .
Just last August, the Bush administration announced the extension for two additional years of cross-border transport pilot program that allows reciprocal access for trucks from Mexico and the United States to complete territory of both countries.
If approved by the Senate and enacted, the new initiative cancelled the pilot program.
Under the North American Free Trade Agreement for americas North (NAFTA), the United States should have allowed the gradual entry of trucks domiciled in Mexico since 1995, but the then president Bill Clinton failed to agree under pressure from the Teamsters' Union (Teamsters).
In contrast to the position of the governments of Mexico and the United States, the Teamsters president Jim Hoffa on Tuesday applauded the action of the House of Representatives since said it will close the door to "dangerous Mexican trucks."
"The initiative makes it clear that Congress wants the border (with Mexico) closed. This time the administration can not even pretend you do not understand what he means by Congress," said Hoff.
Hoffa alluded to the fact that a similar initiative approved last July by Congress forbidding "initiate" a pilot program of cross-border transportation, but the project was ignored by the Bush administration because the program was not initiated because already there.
The pilot program was initiated in 2007 to assess the impact of opening the border on a reciprocal basis to Mexican and U.S. trucks. Although Congress blocked last year the funds, the government has remained in operation.
A NAFTA arbitration panel ruled in favor of Mexico in 2001 when considering that the U.S. violated its treaty obligations.
Although the Bush administration sought to comply with the provisions of cross-border transport, a series of lawsuits and congressional actions have so far prevented its full implementation.
