Hillary Clinton backs Mexico drug war Skip to main content

Hillary Clinton backs Mexico drug war

BBC NEWS

Hillary Clinton in Mexico, 24 January 2011 Mrs Clinton is urging Mexico to stay the course in the fight against drug gangs

MEXICO'S DRUGS WAR

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, on a visit to Mexico, has reiterated her support for President Felipe Calderon's fight against drugs gangs.
Mrs Clinton said there was "no alternative" to confronting the cartels, despite rising violence that left more than 15,000 dead last year.
She said the US recognised the need to stop the flow of money and guns from the US to the cartels.
Mrs Clinton later met Mr Calderon and discussed security and economic issues.
Earlier she met her Mexican counterpart, Patricia Espinoza, in the city of Guanajuato.
Mrs Clinton said Mexico's policy of fighting the drugs gangs was "absolutely necessary," despite the high cost in bloodshed.
"It is messy. It causes lots of terrible things to be on the news," she said. "The drug traffickers are not going to give up without a fight".
Mrs Clinton praised the Mexican government's efforts to reform the judicial and prison systems, and promised to maintain US aid for the fight against organised crime.
Under a security cooperation programme called the Merida Initiative the US is spending around $1.7bn (£1bn) on helping Mexico and Central America tackle drug-trafficking.
Leaks The BBC's Julian Miglierini in Mexico City says Mrs Clinton's visit is being viewed, in part, as an exercise in damage limitation following revelations by the whistleblowing website, Wikileaks.
Secret US diplomatic cables released by Wikileaks in recent weeks suggest US officials are privately sceptical about the ability of some Mexican security agencies to tackle the cartels.
One leaked cable, apparently sent in 2009, described Mexico's intelligence apparatus as "fractured, ad hoc and reliant on US support".
Since President Calderon launched a military offensive against the drug gangs in December 2006, violence has increased, especially in northern border areas, with more than 34,000 people killed.
Last year was the bloodiest so far, with 15,273 drug-related killings, according to Mexican government figures.
The Mexican authorities argue that the rising violence shows that the gangs are being weakened and turning increasingly on each other, but critics argue the use of troops has only served to provoke increasingly gruesome murders.
Also on Mrs Clinton's agenda in Mexico were economic issues, including the access of Mexican truck drivers to the US market, immigration and border control, and climate change.
After Canada and China, Mexico is the US's biggest trading partner, and is the second biggest market for US goods.

The spread of Mexico's drug-related violence













Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Thai penis whitening trend raises eyebrows

Image copyright LELUXHOSPITAL Image caption Authorities warn the procedure could be quite painful A supposed trend of penis whitening has captivated Thailand in recent days and left it asking if the country's beauty industry is taking things too far. Skin whitening is nothing new in many Asian countries, where darker skin is often associated with outdoor labour, therefore, being poorer. But even so, when a clip of a clinic's latest intriguing procedure was posted online, it quickly went viral. Thailand's health ministry has since issued a warning over the procedure. The BBC Thai service spoke to one patient who had undergone the treatment, who told them: "I wanted to feel more confident in my swimming briefs". The 30-year-old said his first session of several was two months ago, and he had since seen a definite change in the shade. 'What for?' The original Facebook post from the clinic offering the treatment, which uses lasers to break do...
1 comment
Read more

Ancient Rakhine City of Mrauk-U Proposed for UNESCO World Heritage Site

The Irrawaddy YANGON—Myanmar’s Ministry of Religious Affairs and Culture submitted the final draft of its nomination for Mrauk-U to become a World Heritage Site to UNESCO on Monday, four months after the ministry submitted the first draft of its nomination in September 2019. If the application succeeds, Mrauk-U will be the third place in Myanmar to be inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, after the ancient cities of Bagan and Pyu. Mrauk-U is located in northern Rakhine State, around 60 km from the state capital of Sittwe. The ancient city was the seat of Arakanese kings from the 1400s until the late 1700s. At the height of their power, they controlled an area covering large parts of eastern Bengal, modern-day Rakhine State and the western part of central Myanmar. Much of the city’s remains are well-preserved and some 380 historic temples are scattered between the lush hills of northern Rakhine. Mrauk-U Heritage Trust chairwoman Daw Khin Than told The Irrawaddy on Tue...
1 comment
Read more

Sri Bhaddanta Chandramani Mahathera

The Life Story of A Distinguished And Outstanding Bhikkhu The Most Venerable Saradawpharagree Sri Bhaddanta Chandramani Mahathera The Buddhist missionary Saradaw Ashin U Chandramani was endowed with great gifts and led a famous and long life. He was a very well known, distinguished and outstanding Bhikkhu Mahathera. While living in the Kushinagar Monastery, a place close to where the Lord Buddha had passed away to Nirvana, the Government of India had offered, and he had accepted, the highest, most honourable and respected title "Guru Guru MahaGuru". He became the first ever President of all Buddhists in India.A World Buddhist Conference took place in Kathmandu during the reign of King Mahindra of Nepal. The Conference was very well attended by over one hundred thousand Buddhists from various parts of the world and it was opened by King Mahindra himself. As requested by the King, Saradawpharagree blessed all the participants with the power of Triple Gems...
Post a Comment
Read more