Obama in Mexico for North American leaders summit

US President Barack Obama arrived in Mexico Sunday to attend his first summit of North American leaders, with the economic crisis and drug trafficking high on the agenda.

Obama arrived on Air Force One in the western city of Guadalajara around 5:15 pm (2215 GMT), and was due to hold bilateral meetings with Mexican President Felipe Calderon and Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper before a joint dinner.

White House deputy press secretary Bill Burton told reporters on Air Force One that the meetings would lay the groundwork for the G20 summit in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania next month and touch on threats to the security, health and economic prosperity of the three nations.

"The purpose of this summit is for the president to have an opportunity to speak with his counterparts about issues of mutual concern, like H1N1 (flu) preparedness, economic competitiveness, security and also global climate change," Burton said.