Guadalajara, Mexico  - Mexican President Felipe Calderon held bilateral meetings with US President Barack Obama and Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper late Sunday in the western Mexican city of Guadalajara.

The meetings took place shortly before the start - with a formal dinner - of a North American Leaders Summit that was to focus on the fight against drug trafficking, the global economic crisis and the coordinated North American response to the pandemic A(H1N1) influenza virus.

Obama landed in Guadalajara's airport aboard Air Force One and was met by Emilio Gonzalez, the governor of the Mexican state of Jalisco. Shortly afterwards, he boarded a helicopter that took him to the Cabanas Cultural Institute in central Guadalajara for a private meeting with Calderon.

Mexico's ambassador to the United States Arturo Sarukhan said Obama and his host discussed the global crisis and the chances for recovery.

According to the ambassador, Calderon brought up the issue of access to the United States and Canada for Mexican trucks, which has been a matter of disagreement because the United States bars them from entry. Obama said he hopes to find a solution in the "short term," Sarukhan said.

The two leaders were further said to have discussed the flu epidemic, global warming and the fight against the drug cartels, which has left more than 9,000 dead in Mexico since January 2008.

Earlier, Calderon reportedly discussed with Harper the possibility that Canada ease visa requirements for Mexicans, which Canada had said prior to the visit it would not do. They were also said to have spoken about the chance that Canadian police train their Mexican colleagues, and an expansion of agreements on temporary workers.

The city centre around the cultural centre had been fortified for the two-day summit. Police officers and fencing prevented unauthorized access to a broad area that is usually busy with pedestrians on regular Sundays. Shops featured signs saying "closed due to summit."

Security measures also affected southern Guadalajara, which holds the three hotels where Obama, Harper and Calderon were staying.

Military patrols were apparent all around the city, and US military Black Hawk helicopters were also to be seen.

Hundreds of members of social organizations were holding a parallel gathering to demand from North American leaders solutions to problems in the fields of the environment, human rights and agricultural production. They also mentioned the trucks issue.

On Sunday morning, some 500 demonstrators marched through the streets of Guadalajara to press for these demands, but they were denied access to the city's historic centre.  (dpa)