(Reuters) - First lady Michelle Obama met her Mexican counterpart on Wednesday during her first solo foreign trip as she sought to trumpet close ties between the neighboring countries as they try to boost trade and fight violent drug cartels.
Obama met President Felipe Calderon's wife, Margarita Zavala, at the presidential residence on Wednesday morning, where she was expected to plug a message of improving education for the poor.
"Mexico is really a natural first step for me," Obama said on her plane on Tuesday night. "The relationships that our countries have with one another are so deep and broad. So many U.S. citizens trace their roots back to Mexico," she said in a video recorded by the White House.
The first ladies, both lawyers with young children, will visit Mexico's anthropology museum and meet with women leaders, but had no plans to publicly discuss Mexico's raging drug war, which is fueled by U.S. demand for illegal narcotics.
Calderon has staked his presidency on trying to crush the drug gangs, sending the army to fight heavily armed hitmen in a brutal war that has killed 22,700 people since the president took office in late 2006.
The escalating violence is a concern in Washington, which is sending Mexico more than $1 billion in anti-drug aid, and is scaring off tourists and forcing some investors to freeze investment in border factories.
The U.S. State Department has warned against non-essential travel along the U.S.-Mexico border, and the killing of three people linked to the U.S. consulate in Ciudad Juarez last month provoked outrage and put new pressure on Mexico.
"MOM-IN-CHIEF"
In her role as first lady, Obama has taken on a relatively low profile, avoiding politically sensitive subjects and preferring to call herself "mom-in-chief" to her two daughters, Sasha and Malia.
She touts education and health as her pet causes, planting an organic vegetable garden at the White House and plugging exercise with her nationwide "Let's Move" campaign.
But her visit solidifies her husband's interest in Mexico after he traveled twice to meet with Calderon in Mexico since taking office in January 2009.
Obama has pledged to support Calderon in his anti-drug fight and increase the two countries' already strong commercial ties, worth around $1 billion a day in bilateral trade.
Mexico, which sends the bulk of its exports to the United States, is heavily dependent on the U.S. economy and is a major oil supplier to its northern neighbor.
Reuters
