Economy, migration and coronavirus on N America summit agenda, Mexico says

The leaders of the United States, Mexico and Canada will discuss the economic integration of North America, immigration and the coronavirus pandemic at a summit this week, Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said on Monday.

Lopez Obrador is due to hold talks with US President Joe Biden and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in Washington on Thursday at the first in-person meeting of the leaders of the three nations since 2016. Only Trudeau was in office last time.

"There are three issues: economic integration, migration and health regarding Covid and cooperation on dealing with the pandemic," Lopez Obrador told a regular news conference.

The Mexican president said labor mobility in the region would also be on the agenda, and reiterated that he did not intend to discuss a proposed electricity market reform in Mexico which has caused concern inside the U.S government.

Lopez Obrador pitched his plan to change the constitution to give Mexico's state-owned power company priority over private investment in the energy market on the grounds that past governments had rigged the sector in favor of private interests.

Critics are concerned it breaches Mexico's obligations under the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) trade deal.

Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard, Finance Minister Rogelio Ramirez de la O, Economy Minister Tatiana Clouthier, deputy health minister Hugo Lopez-Gatell and Mexico's migration chief would be in the Mexican delegation, Lopez Obrador added.

Lopez Obrador said he would travel on Wednesday to Washington and return early on Friday.

Later on Monday, Canada said its foreign minister, Melanie Joly, was flying to Mexico City for talks with Ebrard ahead of the Washington summit.

During the talks, Joly would highlight the importance of working together on North American competitiveness and shared challenges such as climate change, her government said.