Interview With the President Question-and-Answer Session With Jacobo Zabludovsky of Telerisa, Mexico.

MR. ZABLUDOVSKY. Mr. President, do you agree with those in Mexico who say that relations between our two countries are at a low point?

THE PRESIDENT. NO. I believe that the relationships between Mexico and the United States have improved the last 2 years. The fact is that we have concluded new trade agreements, maritime agreements, agreements concerning fisheries, exchange of prisoners. There has been an emerging consultation between myself and President Lopez Portillo, almost of an unprecedented nature.

When he was inaugurated, my wife was there. When I was inaugurated, Mrs. Lopez Portillo was here. My first official visitor was President Lopez Portillo, and of course, the Vice President and my wife have been back to visit Mexico since then.

There is a new relationship because of the emerging greatness of Mexico and the political influence that's now being exerted by Mexico throughout the world. And I think there's a new sense in our country of equality, of the sharing of responsibility for world events and for the control of weapons and the maintenance of peace in this hemisphere.

So, I think a new sense of partnership-and we believe that this inevitably causes challenges, but in my opinion, since I've been in office as President, we have met those challenges very well.

And my visit with President Lopez Portillo will be an additional opportunity for us to resolve even further the differences that still remain and to meet those challenges together.

MR. ZABLUDOVSKY. Mr. President, about oil and gas, do you expect to come to some practical agreement on these and other issues?

THE PRESIDENT. The recent discoveries of enormous quantities of oil and gas in Mexico is very good news indeed, for us and for the people of Mexico. We believe that all decisions about the production and sale of energy supplies in Mexico should be made by the Mexican people. This is not something in which we ought to be involved. We recognize this responsibility as being uniquely on the shoulders of the people and the leaders of Mexico.

We want to be customers, to purchase both oil and natural gas, and we want to be good customers. We want to pay a fair price, and those prices will be negotiated in good faith, with very careful attention paid to the sensitivities and the needs of the people of Mexico and to the needs of our own country as well. I see no reason for this to be anything other than a very good development for Mexico and for the people of our country as well.

MR. ZABLUDOVSKY. Mr. President, regarding illegal immigration, what do you see as the next step in facing this problem?

THE PRESIDENT. My knowledge of the Mexican people is that they share our commitment to the honoring of law. And I'm sure they recognize that I, as President, have taken an oath to carry out laws of our country.

What I think we ought to do is to have a legal arrangement, new laws passed by the Congress, that would deal effectively with the problem of illegal immigration. We want to be very careful that all the 20 million Mexican Americans who live here, plus even those who have come into our country in contravention of the law, are treated with respect and treated fairly.

I submitted to the Congress last year a proposal for a new immigration law. That legislation may be resubmitted to me for this new Congress, but before I decide whether to submit the law to Congress again, or the form that the law takes, the specifics of it, I want to consult with President Lopez Portillo first, to be sure that the advice that he might give to me and the counsel that I might receive from him and other Mexican leaders is fully accommodated in the proposal that I make to Congress.

MR. ZABLUDOVSKY. Are you satisfied with the United States and Mexican efforts to halt the traffic of illegal drugs into the United States?

THE PRESIDENT. This has been one of the most exciting and gratifying experiences that I've had since I've been President. The cooperation there has been superb, and there has been a drastic reduction in the trafficking of drugs across the border. Also, we've helped each other by having a much more effective control of smuggling and other violation of border law and customs. This permits a great enhancement of mutual trust, also helps to control crime and, at the same time, promotes the benefits of legitimate trade and commerce. So, I'm very pleased.

MR. ZABLUDOVSKY. As you know, Mr. President, Mexican Americans are one of the fastest growing segments of the United States population. What are your views of the progress as a group? What can you say about the reports of mistreatment and discrimination against them?

THE PRESIDENT. I believe that in the past, there have been very serious instances Of mistreatment and discrimination. We now have about 20 million Spanish-speaking residents, citizens of our country. They are making a great beneficial impact on the life of America.

As you undoubtedly know, our whole population is made up of immigrants from different countries in the world, sometimes even refugees who came here to save their own lives, including my own ancestors, earlier. So, we are a country that's accustomed to receiving with an open heart and with open arms those who want to come to our country for a different life.

At the same time, I think we're beginning to see, with this large number of Americans who speak Spanish, the benefits of shared history and shared culture, and we can derive the best of the habits and the customs of one another. So, in every possible way that I can detect in our own country, this large number of Mexican immigrants and others who speak Spanish has been very helpful to us.

I have directed our own Attorney General and the law enforcement agencies throughout our country to stamp out instantly and very severely any violation of basic human rights and any discriminatory practices that might formerly have existed in our border States or throughout our country against those who might speak Spanish.

MR. ZABLUDOVSKY. When I interviewed you during your election campaign in 1976, we spoke a little Spanish. How is your Spanish now? Would you comment on the value of the Spanish language TV broadcasting in the United States, too, please?

THE PRESIDENT. In addition to having 20 million Spanish-speaking Americans, we have about 450 TV and radio stations that broadcast, as you know, either fulltime or part-time in Spanish.

Mi esposa y yo estudiamos espanol. No hay mucha oportunidad de practicar espanol en Washington. Sera una grande oportunidad para nosotros visitar al gran pals de Mexico y para mi consultar con su Presidente, Lopez Portillo. [My wife and I study Spanish. There is not much opportunity to practice Spanish in Washington. It will be a great opportunity for us to visit the great country of Mexico and for me to consult with your President, Lopez Portillo.]

I hope when I arrive there to have a chance to practice more Spanish. And this is a language that we find to be very precious. We enjoy speaking it, I'm sure, more than the people enjoy hearing us as we learn. But it's a language that I hope to share with many people in the future.

MR. ZABLUDOVSKY. Mr. President, in the name of Televisa, whom I am representing now here, I give you my thank you. And I hope you will have a nice trip to Mexico and a nice time there.

THE PRESIDENT. Muchas gracias.

MR. ZABLUDOVSKY. Gracias, Senor Presidente.