Mexico City ? President Vicente Fox tried to smooth relations with the U.S. black community Wednesday after saying Mexican immigrants take jobs that “not even” blacks want, promising to work with the Rev. Jesse Jackson to improve labor rights for minorities in the United States.

The meeting between Fox and Jackson at the presidential residence was a sharp contrast from a few days ago, when Jackson called on the Mexican president to issue a public apology.

Fox met with Jackson for more than an hour, but didn’t participate in a news conference immediately following the talks because he had to leave for a trip to northern Mexico. Fox has made no public reference to his comment Friday, instead issuing often inconsistent statements through his spokespeople.

Jackson said Fox was scheduled to appear on the civil rights leader’s radio program Sunday. The Mexican leader was also invited to several U.S. labor forums, although it wasn’t clear whether he planned to attend.

Foreign Secretary Luis Ernesto Derbez, who appeared at the news conference on Fox’s behalf, said the meeting was an opportunity for Mexico to pursue better treatment for Mexican and other Latino migrants in the United States. Some 25 million people of Mexican heritage live in the United States.

Jackson said Fox’s comment Friday was “at best, insensitive,” but that the Mexican president had expressed regret for any offense he had caused.

“He now realizes the harmful effects of it,” Jackson said. “He seeks to correct it by acting and by reaching out.”

Jackson said the statement, which angered the U.S. black community, was a chance for minority groups in the United States to begin working together to fight for better treatment and wages.

Mexican President Vicente Fox, left, shakes hands with U.S. civil rights leader Jesse Jackson at the Los Pinos presidential residence in Mexico City. The two met Wednesday to discuss ways to improve relations between the Mexican and black communities in the United States.

“We must work together, fighting for the right to vote, and for health care and wages.”

The controversy came as Mexico fumed over new U.S. immigration policies, including tightened requirements for driver’s licenses and the extension of a wall along the California-Mexico border.

Jackson acknowledged Mexican frustration, saying: “Our future is in building bridges and not walls.”