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PHOENIX — Gov. Janet Napolitano is asking President Bush and his Mexican counterpart to agree today to changes in their own countries to deal with the large number of Mexicans coming to the United States to work.

In a letter Monday to both Bush and Felipe Calderón, the governor said she believes from her separate meetings with each of them that they want to improve relations. But she said that will require some affirmative steps on their parts.

Napolitano wants Bush to pledge to implement an immigration system "that is economically realistic, flexible and innovative."

But she also said Mexico — and Calderón — have to play a role, too: She wants the Mexican president to promise to modernize the economy of the country "and end the practice of using the United States labor market as a safety valve."

Napolitano has no belief today's talks, by themselves, will make any difference. But she said if both agree to these goals it "will provide optimism to the citizens of both our countries that we can and will resolve our problem."

Bush is on the last leg of a five-nation Latin American tour. The trip comes as Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has sought to increase his role in regional affairs, playing off the contention that the United States has paid little attention to its neighbors in the hemisphere.

In her letter, Napolitano suggested that more attention by the United States and Mexico to the common problem now could prevent it from blowing up and becoming "an international conflict replete with intransigent positions and recriminations."

"Now is the time to end the embarrassment of a failed immigration system," the governor wrote.

"Both nations created this failure," she continued. "Nothing short of both nations working together can bring about the solution."

The governor did not minimize the political barriers on this side of the border to making the changes sought. But she said there is "momentum for change," spurred by the demands of officials of states on both sides of the border.

Gubernatorial press aide Jeanine L'Ecuyer said Napolitano is under no illusion that her pressures will suddenly make either president take action. But L'Ecuyer said the record does show that there can be an effect, pointing to Operation Jumpstart, the decision by Bush to station National Guard troops along the border.

"The president was really not interested in that until Gov. Napolitano talked to him on a couple of occasions . . . and said, 'We can do this,' " L'Ecuyer said, even giving Bush and his Cabinet secretaries the legal citations for making it happen.

L'Ecuyer also said "one letter from one governor" will not result in comprehensive immigration law changes.

"But what's important here is the drumbeat reminding the people in power that this is something the federal governments of these countries need to do."