Visit by Fox is likely, Huntsman says

A visit to Utah by Mexico President Vicente Fox looks more likely now that his country's ambassador to the United States plans a trip to the state this fall.

Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. announced Wednesday at his monthly ethnic minority news conference that Mexico's ambassador to the United States, Carlos de Icaza, is scheduled to be in Utah Sept. 30 through Oct. 2.

"I think this is a prelude to a President Fox visit. You don't send an ambassador to a state unless the president is to follow," Huntsman, a former U.S. ambassador to Singapore, said.

Icaza's visit is good news for the governor, who did not receive a firm commitment that Fox would visit Utah when he extended an invitation to the Mexican president during their meeting in Mexico City earlier this month.

Huntsman had hoped Fox would travel to the state this fall to sign off on the governor's proposed "Utah-Mexico Alliance for Prosperity," intended to promote trade and tourism as well as cultural and education exchanges.

But no date has been set for the Mexican leader's visit, and Mexican officials suggested it might not be until next year — if Fox comes at all. Huntsman has said the alliance will go forward with or without a visit from Fox.

Huntsman said Wednesday he hopes to have a draft proposal in place for the Mexican ambassador's visit "that solidifies our alliance." Icaza is posted to Washington, D.C.

While there's still no Utah visit on the Mexican president's schedule, Huntsman sounded confident Wednesday that he's coming. "When Fox comes to the United States, I think this will be his priority trip," he said.

The Mexican president has also been invited to Seattle by Microsoft boss Bill Gates and to Colorado by that state's governor, Bill Owens. "I'm guessing they'll probably do those three stops," Huntsman said.

Also Wednesday, the governor named Miguel Rovira as director of international business for the state, covering the western hemisphere from Canada to South America.

"He comes with very solid credentials, a knowledge of many of the markets he'll be working in and he's a very, very impressive individual," Huntsman said. "We look forward to working closely with him as he begins full time very soon."

Rovira, executive director of the Utah Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and the head of a company that provides technical support services in the Washington, D.C., area, will also be involved in the effort to create an international trade center in Utah.

Huntsman had been serving, in effect, as the state's top salesmen in the international business community. Shortly after he took office in January, he fired some 33 appointed state economic development employees.

Layne Palmer, the father of Huntsman's executive assistant, had been director of international diplomacy and trade until his credentials were questioned. The governor first changed his title, and then announced a new anti-nepotism policy.

Palmer stepped down from his job and is now working as a consultant to the governor's privately funded Utah Policy Partnership, an outgrowth of Huntsman's transition team.

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