WEST VALLEY CITY — Mexican President Vicente Fox was silent on the volatile issue of immigration when speaking to Utah business and political leaders. However, he broached the topic Tuesday to hundreds of Mexican-Americans, saying cooperation and not "fences" will best settle differences.

"We don't set up walls," Fox said in Spanish, with English interpretation, at the Utah Cultural Celebration Center. "It is not with fences we are going to solve this problem, but hand-in-hand . . . We are neighbors, we are friends, and we are partners."

Fox's address came before today's anticipated preliminary vote in the Senate on a sweeping immigration reform bill that could put millions of undocumented immigrants on a pathway to citizenship. Last week, the Senate voted to add 370 miles of triple-layered fencing along the Mexican border to the bill, and a House enforcement-only measure also calls for a border fence.

An earlier luncheon had been focused strictly on economic development, but Fox used his speech to some 800 people, many Mexican immigrants and grass-roots volunteers, to stress the importance of reaching an immigration solution that recognizes the dignity, hard work and contributions of all people.

While he spoke mostly in Spanish, Fox switched to English at times during his remarks.

"Mexico promotes new mechanisms that allow for a legal safe, orderly migration, respecting fully human rights and dignity," he said in English. "Mexico wants to be part of the solution, not of the problem."

He added that Utah's immigrants have a friend in Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr., who helped persuade other Western governors to adopt a resolution supporting comprehensive immigration reform. He praised the Utah Legislature for passing laws allowing undocumented immigrants to drive using a driving privilege card, and to pay in-state tuition at state colleges and universities.

He repeatedly stressed the importance of Mexican immigrants to both nations, saying their core family and religious values are a vital contribution, along with their hard work.

"People of Mexico, we have you in our hearts. We love you. We appreciate you," he said. "You are truly an example for all of us. . . . Even though you are far away from Mexico, you are an integral part of Mexico."

Fox was greeted with a standing ovation and at times interrupted with applause. Calls of "viva Mexico" followed his speech.

Attorney General Mark Shurtleff, among those who spoke before Fox, also drew applause when he spoke in Spanish.

"The folks here needed to hear that," Shurtleff said of Fox's immigration focus. "He stated he's committed to doing his part. It's the biggest issue facing our two nations. . . . (Fox) set an example by coming here and showing he is ready to talk."