President George W. Bush and the leaders of Canada and Mexico will announce on Wednesday a broad plan to strengthen economic and security ties among the three countries, U.S. officials said. Bush greeted Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin and Mexican President Vicente Fox at Baylor University and then they started a trilateral meeting, after which they were to announce an agreement to cooperate on preventing security threats and promoting North American economic competitiveness. While the summit will not focus on tensions over trade and immigration disputes that have marred relations, those issues will likely be raised during a day that will include lunch at Bush's ranch in nearby Crawford. The summit comes amid U.S.-Mexico tensions over immigration issues, with Fox seeking an easing of restrictions on Mexicans working illegally in the United States. Canada and the United States have been embroiled in trade disputes over Canadian lumber exports, and beef and cattle trade that has been disrupted since Canada found its first domestic case of mad cow disease. --More 1840 Local Time 1540 GMT
