ABSTRACT
The continental trade and development pact the author offers an opportunity to engage in a new North-South dialogue, not only to draft declarations, but also to sign economic pacts and share actual development commitments. The mechanism that is set up to handle disputes directly related to trade, in addition to or in place of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade mechanism, must include provisions that the three countries can utilize on equal terms. In fact, the issue of labor mobility was explicitly excluded from the negotiations between the Mexican and US governments, and anyone who insists on its inclusion is seen as an enemy of free trade. A free trade agreement is seen by many on both sides of the border as a bold economic move needed to stem immigration flows at their source by creating jobs for Mexicans in Mexico.
