Washington - Mexican President Vicente Fox launched the first state visit hosted by US President Bush last night by challenging him to reach a bilateral immigration reform accord by the end of the year.
The unexpected appeal - Mr Fox had previously spoken of a four- to six-year span to complete reform efforts - flummoxed top US officials, who later said the White House embraced its spirit while remaining cautious about the deadline.
Mr Bush struck in public remarks to the symbolic importance of Mr Fox being his first official state visitor, and hoped to found a "century of the Americas".
"The United States has no more important relationship in the world than the one we have with Mexico," Mr Bush said.