McCain vows to boost aid to Mexico police fighting drug war

08:05 PM CDT on Thursday, July 3, 2008
By LAURENCE ILIFF / The Dallas Morning News
liliff@dallasnews.com

MEXICO CITY — Appearing before Mexico’s drug-fighting Federal Police on Thursday, John McCain promised that as president he would quickly implement a U.S. aid package to give the officers more helicopters, technology and training.

Mr. McCain, visiting the federal force’s new command center as he concluded a three-day trip to Colombia and Mexico, paid his condolences to the hundreds of officers who have died in the drug fight since President Felipe Calderón took office 19 months ago.

Those deaths, Mr. McCain said, “will not be in vain.”

“I want to thank President Calderón and the people of Mexico for their efforts in making our relations better,” said Mr. McCain, who struggled to make himself heard as pounding rain thundered off the metal roof of the helicopter hangar where he spoke.

Mr. McCain expressed support for the Merida Initiative, the $1.4 billion anti-crime aid package passed by the U.S. Congress last week. “I look forward to implementing the Merida Initiative, and to work together to stem the flow of drugs from Colombia through Mexico and into the United States of America.” he said.
Mr. McCain, the presumptive Republican nominee for president, and Mr. Calderón held a private meeting earlier in the day.

Mr. McCain’s support for comprehensive immigration reform has made him popular among ruling party officials here, along with his support for the North American Free Trade Agreement. Mr. McCain’s Democratic rival, Barack Obama, has called for a renegotiation of the treaty.

On immigration, the Republic senator said that he supported a temporary guest-worker program as a “short-term” solution but only through the use of high-tech documents to prevent forgery.

But he also reiterated his stance that the U.S.-Mexico border must be controlled before comprehensive immigration reform can be considered.