Joint Statement With the President of Mexico Following the Inspection of the Amistad Dam.

THE PRESIDENTS of the United States of America and the United Mexican States have come together here, because of the common interest of their governments in the progress of construction of the Amistad (Friendship) Dam which is being constructed jointly by the two governments on the Rio Grande near Del Rio, Texas, and Ciudad Acuna, Coahuila, under the Treaty of 1944.

The Presidents have expressed their pleasure at the satisfactory progress of the construction which will assure completion of the Dam by the Spring of 1969, on schedule.

The International Dam is a multi-purpose project: It will control the River's floods and thereby prevent the loss of life and devastating property damage as have occurred in the past on both sides of the River from Del Rio and Ciudad Acuna to Brownsville, Texas, and Matamoras, Tamaulipas.

With Falcon Dam, it will conserve the greatest quantity of annual flow of the river in a way to insure the continuance of existing uses and development of the optimum feasible future uses within the water allotments to each country. It will enable developments of hydroelectric energy which will be divided equally between the two countries. It will enable development of a great inland water recreational facility for the benefit of this region in the two countries.

The Presidents recognize that the construction of the Amistad Dam stems from the good understanding and frank and cordial spirit of international cooperation which happily exists between the United States and Mexico, and that it constitutes an outstanding example of how two neighbor countries can resolve their common boundary problems with benefit to both.

The Presidents expressed pleasure that this joint visit to the site of the dam has afforded them opportunity to strengthen even more their personal friendship which will undoubtedly be reflected in greater understanding between the two nations.