By an OGJ Online Correspondent
CALGARY, June 5 -- Mexican President Vicente Fox has invited the chief executives of senior Canadian energy companies to a meeting at his ranch for private talks on how Canada can play a larger role in Mexican energy.
The meeting, tentatively set for June 23, was confirmed by the Mexican Embassy in Ottawa. The invitations were extended to senior industry executives after Fox was forced by time constraints to cancel a visit to Calgary in April.
Companies expected to participate in the meeting include Alberta Energy Co., Canadian Hunter Exploration Ltd., Enbridge Inc., Export Development Corp., Nexen Inc., PanCanadian Petroleum Ltd., Paramount Resources Ltd., Petro-Canada, Precision Drilling Corp., Talisman Energy Inc., TransAlta Corp., SNC-Lavalin, Westcoast Energy Inc., and Westcoast Energy International Inc.
The Mexican ambassador to Canada, Ezequiel Padilla, and Canadian ambassador Keith Christie are also expected to attend the meeting at San Cristobal, Guanajuato, 217 miles north of Mexico City.
Westcoast Energy CEO Michael Phelps said the invitations underscore within Mexico the importance of foreign investment as a driver of that economy and the desire to continue to build personal relationships with the Canadian energy sector.
Westcoast, of Vancouver, BC, is one of the most active Canadian companies in Mexico.
