Obama to go to Mexico for summit

WASHINGTON, Aug. 7 (UPI) -- North American leaders will discuss the global economy, energy, climate change and security during a summit in Mexico, U.S. officials said in a briefing.

U.S. President Barack Obama travels to Guadalajara, Mexico, this weekend to meet with Mexican President Felipe Calderon and Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper.

"This summit provides an opportunity for the leaders and their teams to focus on how, working together, countries of North America can improve the well-being of people in each of our three nations by confronting a series of challenges that respect no borders," said National Security Adviser James Jones during Thursday's briefing. "The bottom line is that what affects our bordering neighbors has the potential to affect us all, so we want to be certain that we have the tightest and best possible cooperation."

Jones said Obama and Calderon would conduct bilateral meetings before the North American Leaders Summit begins.

Jones said trilateral meetings would include discussions on preparation for responding to the H1N1 swine flu virus and the North American flu season.

The three leaders will also address the threat posed by transnational criminal cartels.

On the economic front we see this as an opportunity to prepare for the Pittsburgh G20 summit in Pittsburgh in September, while also addressing how we can enhance North American competitiveness, and ensure that our trade arrangements protect our workers and our environment for the benefit of all in North America, officials said.

Obama, Calderon and Harper are committed to tackling climate change and embracing clean energy technologies, Jones said.

"The summit will give us the opportunity to advance that work with an eye towards making progress here in North America," he said.