Americans Buy the Drugs -- So US Should Help More, Says Calderon
Betty McMahon
May 29, 2008
The death of policemen in the Mexican drug wars can be laid squarely at the feet of Americans who are buying the drugs, Mexican President Felipe Calderon told US border governors this week.
California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson, and Texas Governor Rick Perry met with Calderon in Mexico City to discuss how to curb the exploding criminal violence.
"The drug-trafficking problem, that has been and continues to be the principal cause of border violence, comes down to one undeniable fact: the American narcotics market is the biggest in the world,'' Calderon said. "While Mexican police die fighting this battle every day, the majority of the consumers are Americans.”
Calderon took on the drug cartels shortly after he took office in 2007. While the war has claimed the lives of nearly 4,000 suspected drug cartel members, Mexican policemen continue to be killed as well. Earlier this week, seven federal officers were killed in Culiacan by gangs from the Sinaloa cartel.
Mexican policemen are especially vulnerable as they are usually outgunned by the criminal elements armed with armor-piercing bullets and AK-47s. Police officials are asking for more powerful weapons to more effectively battle the drug cartels.
Calderon may get some help from the US in the form of the Merida Initiative, a multi-year, $1.4 billion program advocated by President Bush for Mexico and Central America. Last week the Senate approved $350 million in anti-narcotics aid to Mexico under this Initiative. The funding has conditions, however, that do not please Calderon. Receipt of a quarter of the aid depends on Mexico reigning in human rights abuses by soldiers.
Calderon’s resistance may be moot as President Bush has threatened to veto the bill over certain spending initiatives not related to the Mexico funds.
Texas Gov. Perry proposed that he and the border governors work harder to fight domestic drug consumption at the state level. Perry said he also offered to lobby the federal government to crack down on arms smuggling into Mexico.
Gov. Schwarzenegger praised Calderon's efforts to fight organized crime. “We want to congratulate him for the courage that he has to stand up against the drug lords,'' he said.
Tags: Mexico Violence , Border Violence , Mexico Drug Wars , Drug Cartel , Merida Initiative
