26 March 2009
Clinton Says United States Stands with Mexico Against Criminals
Drug cartels will fail, secretary of state says
Washington — The United States “will stand shoulder to shoulder” with Mexico against criminals and drug kingpins who have been spreading violence and lawlessness along the U.S.-Mexican border, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton says.
“I feel very strongly we have a co-responsibility,” Clinton told journalists at a March 25 news conference in Mexico City. “Our insatiable demand for illegal drugs fuels the drug trade.”
“Our inability to prevent weapons from being illegally smuggled across the border to arm these criminals causes the deaths of police officers, soldiers and civilians.”
In an interview with NBC TV March 26, Clinton said the heavy drug demand coming from the United States “drives the drugs north across our border.” Clinton is wrapping up a two-day trip to Mexico City and Monterrey to consult with Mexican President Felipe Calderón and Foreign Affairs Secretary Patricia Espinosa. It is her first diplomatic mission to Mexico since taking office in January.
The secretary completes her journey in Monterrey March 26 by visiting companies that are developing alternative energy resources and participating in a town hall meeting with students at TecMilenio University in Monterrey. The digital town hall meeting will be carried live, linking students from all of TecMilenio’s 39 campuses.
On March 24 President Obama pledged to send an additional 450 federal agents, funds and technology to the U.S. southwest border and to help Mexico in its battle with drug cartels and mushrooming violence along the border region. (See “Obama Boosts U.S.-Mexico Cooperation Against Drug Cartels.”)
“The criminals and kingpins spreading violence are trying to corrode the foundations of law, order, friendship and trust between us that support our continent. They will fail,” Clinton told reporters.
The United States has a multi-year, $1.4 billion anti-crime program — the Mérida Initiative — with Mexico, Central American countries, the Dominican Republic and Haiti intended to shore up efforts to curb crime and drug-related violence. Congress has approved $700 million of that funding.
“We are confident that with the courageous efforts undertaken by President Calderón, the government of Mexico, the military and police of Mexico, and the people of Mexico, that the efforts undertaken to strengthen this country’s response, to stamp out corruption, to build strong institutions, will succeed,” Clinton said, according to a VOA News report.
Clinton said she will seek an additional $80 million from Congress to provide three military Black Hawk helicopters, night-vision equipment, body armor and other law enforcement equipment to the Mexican government to help in tracking drug runners. Obama said he will do more to prevent illegal firearms from reaching drug cartels from the United States.
U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano and Attorney General Eric Holder are scheduled to visit Mexico in April, to be followed by a mid-April visit by the president before the 5th Summit of the Americas April 17–19 in Port-of-Spain, the capital of Trinidad and Tobago.
Ask Secretary Clinton a question online about her March 25–26 trip to Mexico.
