News Scrapbook 1981-1982

EVENING TRIBUNE 'AY :! 198Z LI ELY TO CONTINUE

EVENING TRIBUNE MAY 1 1 198,l Mexico's envoy due Mexican Ambassador Bernardo Sepulveda will speak at the University of San Diego's graduation May 23. An honorary doctorate of humane letters will be conferred on him by USO President Author Hughes. The commencement will begin at 3 p.m. in the cam- pus stadium. Degrees will be awarded to 520 under- ' graduates and 126 graduate students. Sepulveda was secretary of international affairs of the Institutional Revolu- tionary Party (PRI) in Mex- ico before he was named ambassador. He was adviser on international af• fairs for Miguel de la Ma- drid Hurtado, PRI candi- date for president. The ambassador has served in a number of gov- ernment posts.

U.S. relations with Mexico called 'fine'

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FAMILY AWARD - Dr. Author Hughes, Up1versity of San Di~go pr~ident, presents a diploma to his son, Timothy, during graduation ceremorues yesterday. Meuca~ ambassador Berna~do. Sepulveda was the principal speaker. - Tribune photo by John Gibbins

the two countries has still not been negotiated and no talks are going on until both sides come up with creati!e new proposals, he said . Mexico had hoped the bilat• eral issues would be solved by the International Confer- ence 00 the Law of the Sea, - The United States can best aid Mexico's effort at economic recovery by avoiding any new trade b_ar· riers, the ambassador said. ~ - ---- ------- developed by the United Nations but that hope was Jost wh~n the United States decided not to sign the agreement, he said. "That means we will have to find other ways and means of finding a solu• tion," he said. "It is an issue that shouldn't become an ir· ritant between our coun- tries, but an area of cooper- ation."

,londay, May 24, 1982 *Mexico

lion of the peso is not likelr, he said, due to the econoIDIC measures being put in place by the gove~nment. But _a full economic recovery IS "12 to 18 months away," m the ambassador's view. - A solution to the fish· ing rights dispute between

perspectives. He counted Mexico among the governments "that feel although Argenti· na bas a legitimate claim (on the islands), the means . they used were not appro- priate." - Anew major devalua-

CoatUJued From IJ.1 Sepulveda said that in the two months since being named to his post, he has discovered a positive atti· tude in Washington. "I think that the overall political relationship is very fine indeed," he said. "I have the very clear im· pression that the U.S. and Mexican authorities have the political will to solve the problems that face us." "That doesn't mean that our two countries in our ev- eryday life won't have prob- lems." One continuing source of difficulty is the question of immigration, he said. He said be delivered a note of concern from bis govern· ment to the State Depart· ment over the recent sweeps of California busi· ness which have employed Mexican workers without legal working papers. "We were very concerned for their labor rights and human rights and that's why we issued the note." On other issues the am· bassador said: - The Falkland Islands conflict between Britain and Argentina is unlikely to become a divisive issue be· tween the United States and Mexico, despite differing

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USO OMMENCEMENT SPEAKER Envoy From Mexico Sees Rebound In Its Economy By RICARDO CHAVIRA Stoff Wri1tr, The Sen Oot90 UniOI\ Mexico's suddenly shaky economy the heels of a gloomy prognostieqtion will reb und, probably within 18 last week by Mexico's Treasury Sec• month , the Me ican amba sador to retary Jesus Silva Herzog. the United ta pr dieted here yes- Silva also denied rumors of anoth• terday. er drastic devaluation such as the Bern rdo Sepulveda, a former one in February that dropped the hi h level Mexican trea ry offlc1al, value of the peso overnight by 40 per- a forec t t t ther will be no cent against the dollar. He conceded more dra tic devaluations of the the peso nonetheless would slip 20 to peso, despite strong rumors 10 Mexi- (Continued on A-6, Col. 1) can econom c e1rcle . ___ A government emergency econom- ic plan - including an 8 percent cut

m pubhe spending - and f_uture s~- bilizatlon In the world price of 011, Mexico's largest export, will make 'a full recovery" possible, he said. ' Sepulveda's remarks, made short- ly before a commencement speech at the University of San Diego, came on

THE SAN DIEGO UNION

A-6

Monday, May 2-4, 1982

Reagan.

Mexican Envoy

redicts Rebound

Bishop Leo T. Maher of the Roman Catholic Diocese of San Diego also spoke at the commencement. He urged law graduates to strive for "in-

"W~ must recognize the historical experience of each country and re- spect ~ch other's path of economic and social development," the ambas- sador said in his speech.

Still, Sepulveda characterized cur- rent efforts by the Reagan adminis- tration and Congress to restructure immigration laws as "isolationist."

tellectual honesty." ---~---.._--~

Falklands Strain On U.S.-Latin Relations Discussed In USD Speech (Continued from A-1)

doctorate of humane letters at yes- terday's USD commencement cere- mony, as did Helen K. Copley, chair- man and chief executive of Copley Newspapers. About 520 undergraduate students and 126 graduate students also received degrees. In addition, 260 law students graduated. Mexico, the ambassador said, wa. "successful" in getting the United States and Nicaragua to agree to dis- cuss differences over Central Ameri- can policies. While U.S. officials have largely rejected Mexican offers to mediate the discussion , Sepulveda said his country would continue to urge both countries to begin the talks. In any case, he maintained that hostility between the United States and Nicaragua seems to have dimin- ished - "There appears to be a bet- ter understanding between them ... and declarations are now more con- clliatory." He said the talks had been stalled recently largely because of world concern over the I< alklands conflict. According to Sepulveda, U.S backing of England in its fight with Argenti- na has caused 'ver , very clear dam age'' to a key tenet of the Organi1.a- tion of American States (OAS). He said the prevailing feeling among OAS members is that the

Uruted States violated an OAS treaty that provides for mutual aid if a member state is attacked militarily. The Umted States, he said, is seen by many members as selectively ob-- serving that accord. However, Sepulveda said he did not see the ppssibility of the OAS vot• ing to pull its headquarters out of Washington, as some members have urged. Nor did ,he foresee that U.S. suppq for a European nation over a Latin Amer1ean country would und- ermine U.. -Me ·co relations. Although there was broad OAS support for Argentina's claims to the Falklands he said, most Latin Amer- ican countries did not seem to favor the use of force to regain them. Ambassador to the United States for just two months, Sepulveda said he has been impr~ by the high degree of cooperation that exists be- tween his country and its northern neighbor ''There is the political will to solve any problems that may exist," he •aid. He hailed the close personal rela- tionship between President Reagan and his Mexica counte rt, Jose L6pez Portillo Sepulveda noted that the presiden• l!al candidate of the Insl!tutional Revolutionary Party !1guel de la Madrid - certain to be elected this summer - already has met Mr.

25 percent in the course of the year, and outlined other formidable Mexi- can economic problelJIS. They included the possibility of zero economic growth in that nation during the next year, the threat of Mexico becoming the world's most indebted nation and inflation of at least 50 percent. Those problems, Sepulveda said yesterday, could be blamed largely on "a mistake in planning." Petroleum revenues la3t year were lower than expected - about $7 billion less - because of a drop in world oil prices, he said. HQwever, be predicted thal prices w uld "stabil- ize," making for increased oil reve• nue. Furthermore, Sepulveda argued, "the conomic measures recently un- dertaken by the Mexican govern- ment will mean an upsurge ... in the Mexican economy." The ambassador said the best eco- nomic aid the United States could give Mexico would be "to insure that t are no new barriers to trade." Asked about e. U.S.•Mexico disa- greement ovl!!' f1Sh1n« boundaries Sepulveda said lher were no plans to negotiate the dispute, since there are no new proposals from either side to discuss. ,____Se_ pulveda received an honorary

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