Mexican President Vicente Fox and his Guatemalan counterpart, Oscar Berger, pledged in Mexico City Wednesday to form a strategic alliance against terrorism, drug-trafficking, kidnapping and other crimes to safeguard their border.

To promote common development, the two governments also decided to strengthen cooperation in technology and tourism and build an arbitration committee to solve their trade disputes on agriculture, fishery and the textile industry.

The two countries share a common border of more than 900 km, where thousands of people illegally migrate from Central and South America to the United States every year. Mexican government has seized thousands of drug dealers and abductors in 2003 and 2004, officials said.

The two presidents also exchanged views on local issues and candidates for the secretary general of the Organization of American States. Berger supports Mexican Foreign Minister Luis Derbez to run for the position.

The two countries also agreed on a proposal for building roads and other infrastructure facilities along their border areas to promote the social and economic integration between Central America and south Mexico.

Mexico and Guatemala also signed an accord to boost communications and cooperation between their judicial departments, a security pact to protect their citizens and an extradition agreement.

Analysts believe that with the extradition agreement, Mexico will have the obligation to extradite former Guatemalan President Alfonso Portillo and former Interior Minister Donaldo Alvarez Ruiz.

Berger arrived here Monday for a three-day visit and he has met with parliament members and local entrepreneurs.

Source: Xinhua