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COLORADO RIVER DELTA BI-NATIONAL SYMPOSIUM PROCEEDINGS ENGLISH 18 :vjll continue to comply with its legal obligat!gns concerning the salinity of those__waters as ,- ------- p;:.?~ International BoundarY...:yVater ~ommission Minute 242. "The United States gives its highest priority to fulfilling its international obligations and therefore it manages the system, the Colorado River, in a way that water is specifically allo- cated to assure deliveries to Mexico in accor- dance with the '44 Treaty. "The State Department looks forward to continuing the currently ongoing extensive dialogues through the International Boundary and Water Commission and the bi-national technical groups it has established on Colorado River issues. "It's a good neighbor. The United States very much wants to cooperate with Mexico in every way that we can to improve the environment of the border region and to support collaborative efforts to improve the quality of the Colorado River water delivered to Mexico. The sympo- sium is an important part of that process. I wish the participants of this symposium success, and I hope this experience will be a fruitful one for all concerned." And Undersecretary Dobrioski concludes that she looks forward to receiving a full report of the outcomes of these proceedings. Thank you. OLGA OJEDA CARDENAS HEAD OF INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS COORDINATING OFFICE, MEXICAN SECRETARIAT OF ENVIRONMENT AND NATURAL RESOURCES (VERBATIM): Thank you, gentlemen. Thank you to the planning committee. We hope to have a lot of accomplishments after this symposium that will strengthen cooperation between the United States and Mexico around this topic, the Rio Colorado, the Colorado River. This was one of the richest ecosystems in the world and one that has been effected by multiple modifications in the Colorado basin due to the construction of big dams. The volume of the river in the past as it came across the border was great enough to reach the Gulf of California. However, this has been deteriorating and it has had a negative effect on the Delta ecosystem. During the last decade there has been a considerable volume of water released in the United States. This was one of the conditions that allowed restoration conditions to exist in the Delta. These conditions have resulted in in- creased fisheries and habitat in general. It is important to point out that the potential recu- peration of fish that are endangered, the indig- enous fish, depends on the restoration of the ecosystem. ~o is do~ conceptual actions to eliminate fisheries in the high basin, the Rio Colorado Delta and along the Colorado River. The complimentary measures to prevent th; recuperation of this species are going to be difficult. The sustainable resources and water resources for maintenance of the ecological stability of our shared basins also are needed for the growth and development of productive activities that are critical for the region. It also is a priority in Mexico to promote coordinated actions based on bilateral coopera- tion. Therefore, it is essential to prevent the implementation of unilateral actions that will affect the spirit of cooperation as well as equity to water access. I would like for us to establish, at this symposium, new parameters that will allow us to reach conclusions that both countries want to reach in the spirit of cooperation and that we have always had during the last years. This technical and scientific analysis is very important, but it also is important for us to emphasize the different decisions and political decisions that are in our hands to evaluate. Thank you very much. ERNEST RUSFFO ApPEL COMISIONADO PRESIDENCIAL PARA LA FRONTERA NORTE (VERBATIM): First of all, I am very sorry. I want to express my feelings to the United States because of the things that occurred there this morning.