WASHINGTON (AP) - The Latest on Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and the Cabinet-level delegation’s meetings with officials in Mexico City (all times EDT):
4:15 p.m.
Mexican President-elect Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has given a high-level U.S. delegation a proposal for how the two countries can work together on key areas of cooperation.
That’s according to Marcelo Ebrard, whom Lopez Obrador has chosen to be foreign relations secretary after he takes office Dec. 1.
Ebrard says the proposal covers four main pillars of the relationship: commerce, development, security and migration. He adds that details will be made public only after it is in U.S. President Donald Trump’s hands.
Ebrard describes Friday’s meeting between Lopez Obrador and top U.S. officials, including Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, as “frank, respectful and cordial.”
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3:30 p.m.
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has congratulated Mexican President-elect Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador and says a high-level U.S. delegation’s visit to the country signals Washington’s commitment to the bilateral relationship.
Pompeo met with Lopez Obrador in Mexico City on Friday afternoon, less than two weeks after his landslide election.
Pompeo told the president-elect that the presence of four senior U.S. officials shows that “America greatly values our relationship with Mexico.”
He acknowledged that “there have been bumps in the road between our two countries.” But he added that President Donald Trump “is determined to make the relationship between our peoples better and stronger.”
The delegation met earlier with current President Enrique Pena Nieto and visited the U.S. Embassy in central Mexico City.
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2:50 p.m.
Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto’s office says he asked a U.S. delegation led by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to quickly reunite migrant families separated at the border.
A statement from the presidency says he called for “a permanent alternative that prioritizes the well-being and rights of minors.”
It adds that the president expressed concern over a recent attack on a 92-year-old Mexican man legally residing in California. The man was reportedly beaten by a woman with a brick and told “go back to your country.”
Pena Nieto said such incidents “encourage a climate of hate and racism that we must avoid.”
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12:45 p.m.
A U.S. delegation led by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has arrived at Los Pinos, the official residence of Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto.
The motorcade rolled through the streets of Mexico to the residence and disappeared behind the compound’s security perimeter.
The delegation is also scheduled to meet with President-elect Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, a leftist-populist who won by a landslide on July 1. The dramatic shift in Mexican politics offers the neighboring nations a chance to repair strained relations or make them worse.
He takes office Dec. 1.
Accompanying Pompeo on the trip are President Donald Trump’s son-in-law and White House adviser Jared Kushner, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen.
They are to meet later Friday afternoon with Foreign Relations Secretary Luis Videgaray.
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12:40 a.m.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is leading a Cabinet-level delegation to Mexico on the heels of a sea-change election there that could offer a chance for the neighbors to repair strained relations.
Joining Pompeo on Friday will be President Donald Trump’s son-in-law and White House adviser Jared Kushner, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin (mih-NOO’-shin) and Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen (KEER’-sten) Nielsen.
U.S.-Mexico ties have deteriorated significantly under Trump, who campaigned on building a border wall and has repeatedly blamed Mexico for economic and social problems in the U.S.
However, following the landslide victory of leftist Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, tensions have eased.
Both leaders made positive statements following a telephone call earlier this month. The wall wasn’t mentioned.
Lopez Obrador will replace President Enrique Pena Nieto in December.
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