Prime Minister Stephen Harper met with his American and Mexican counterparts in the shadow of an ancient Mayan pyramid Thursday to kick off a two-day North American summit.
Harper arrived at the archeological ruins of Chichen Itza aboard U.S. President George W. Bush's helicopter. The pair emerged to greet Mexico's Vicente Fox who led them on a tour of the site's iconic temples and plazas.
"We stand here in front of a historic site, a symbol of our determination to build a new future for all inhabitants of North America," Harper said.
"I'm honoured to be here with president Fox and president Bush and look forward to our discussions."
The summit, in the beer and bikini mecca of Cancun, is to focus on better co-operation, trade and security.
The leaders were scheduled to participate in a series of bilateral meetings Thursday
In his meeting with Bush, Harper was expected to focus on the softwood lumber dispute and the U.S. plan to require a secure document or passport before entering the united states.
Asked about prospects for solving the softwood dispute, Bush replied: "I'm optimistic."
(source)
