WORLD IN BRIEF : WASHINGTON, D.C. : Bush Said to Seek Mexico Trade Pact

President Bush will ask Congress next week for authority to negotiate a free trade agreement with Mexico, Administration officials told the New York Times. Although apparently not the only reason, the crisis in the Persian Gulf was a factor in the decision because of Mexico’s oil reserves, the sources said. They also said that Canada, already a free trade partner of the United States, was likely to participate, eventually clearing the way for common standards and trading rules in all three countries. Mexican President Carlos Salinas de Gortari asked the United States last month to open the trade talks.