MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador on Friday expressed his gratitude to Donald Trump for avoiding in public the thorny subject of the U.S. President's promised border wall during the two leaders' summit in Washington earlier this week.



Lopez Obrador also thanked his U.S. counterpart for a fewer "discriminatory tone" during his visit, a rare reference from the Mexican leader to Trump's past insults toward Mexico and its migrants.


"We thank him for not raising the subject (of the border wall) in public," Lopez Obrador told reporters at a regular government news conference, adding that the wall was mentioned during a White House dinner "but without the purpose of imposing anything."


Dating back to his successful 2016 Presidential campaign, Trump made the construction of a wall on the country's southern border a signature pledge, while also promising to force Mexico to pay for it.


His administration has constructed sections of high fencing along the border.


The Washington summit between the two Presidents mostly focused on economic issues, in particular the celebration of a revamped North U.S. trade accord that took effect at the beginning of this month.