Speech at lunch for President of Mexico (Miguel de la Madrid Hurtado)

Miguel de la Madrid HurtadoMr President, Senora de la Madrid, your Excellencies, my Lords, Ladies and Gentlemen.

It is a great honour and pleasure for us, Mr. President, that you accepted Her Majesty's invitation to pay this State visit to Britain and we welcome you very warmly here to 10 Downing Street today.

I know that it is not the first time that you have visited Britain, and that you have many friends here, not least in the City of London.

You have kept those friends, Mr. President; and the warmth of your reception here has shown the affection which we feel for you and [end p1] your great country.

Mr President, in the 17th Century the land of Mexico was for Britain a closed book.

There were tantalising tales of a glorious past and an oppressed people.

At one time Oliver Cromwell even contemplated trying to break through the wall of mystery which surrounded you.

When Mexico eventually achieved, or rather recovered, its independence, Britain was in the forefront of those who supported Mexico and gave the help which enabled the country to stand on its own feet.

Relations have been close ever since. [end p2]

So close indeed that in the early years of this century one of our leading civil engineers and industrial entrepreneurs—Sir Weetman Pearson, first Viscount Cowdray, a giant of his epoch—spent the best years of his life in your country, working on canals, ports, and even the oil industry.

He helped to lay the foundations of modern Mexico.

I am glad that the same spirit of practical cooperation still exists as was shown by the trade and investment agreements which were signed yesterday. [end p3]

I vividly remember the size and magnificence of Mexico City from my all too short visit there in 1981.

I particularly recall the ruins of the great Aztec pyramids at the City's heart.

The wonderful Anthropological Museum showed me the splendours of pre-Colombian civilisation.

I am delighted that the British Museum, in the Museum of Mankind here in London, has mounted an exhibition of its treasures to [end p4] coincide with your visit.

Mr President, we in Britain have greatly admired the way in which your Government has tackled the difficult financial problems which it inherited.

We know well that sound economic policies require firmness of purpose and that solutions are never quick or easy. Your Government's economic strategy is a product of your courage, your wisdom and your realism: we shall continue to give it our support.

We also recognise the importance to the long term prospects of economies such as yours of open markets.

We shall continue to offer the widest possible trade opportunities to you. Particularly in areas such as aerospace, education, technology and fisheries, so that our share in [end p5] your trade can rise well above its present very low level.

I was particularly pleased to tell you, therefore, that we would be extending our official credit cover and also offering Mexico a technical cooperation package.

We covered a very wide range of subjects in our talks before Lunch, Mr President, and found a remarkable measure of common ground in our approaches to problems in your region and beyond.

We are both countries which have experienced great stability and we recognise the importance of such stability if other [end p6] countries are to achieve their goals of economic growth and freedom.

That is why I particularly welcome the contribution which Mexico has made to seeking a peaceful settlement of the problems of Central America and an end to subversion there.

We also make our contribution to that goal by the forces which we keep in Belize at the invitation of that country.

Mr President, next year Mexico will again host the Football World Cup, and I am sure will do so with characteristic hospitality and skill. I hope very much that National teams from [end p7] England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, will qualify for those finals and that their participation will be a chance to restore the good name of British football.

Mr President, your programme for this visit is a demanding one and that you will both hear and make a number of speeches, including one to the Confederation of British Industry to which I know they are particularly looking forward.

I shall not therefore say more today except to repeat the very warm welcome which we all extend to you, to Senora De La Madrid and to your whole delegation. [end p8]

And I ask everyone to rise to drink a toast to the President and to the lasting friendship of the people of the United Kingdom and Mexico.