Jeff Mason
MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - U.S. Republican presidential candidate John McCain took a veiled swipe at Democratic rival Barack Obama over trade on Thursday in the final leg of a Latin American trip aimed at showcasing the Arizona senator's foreign policy credentials.
McCain, who has pledged not to play politics on foreign soil, has nonetheless used his visit to Colombia and Mexico this week to highlight his strong support for free trade and contrast that with the Illinois senator's position.
Obama opposes a trade deal with Colombia and has threatened to pull out of the North American Free Trade Agreement, which groups the United States, Canada and Mexico, if it is not altered to improve labour and environmental provisions.
After a meeting with Mexican President Felipe Calderon, where the two leaders discussed immigration and drug trafficking, McCain criticized Obama, without naming him, for his position on NAFTA.
"I am disappointed at the suggestion that the United States should unilaterally reopen NAFTA," McCain told reporters.
"If there are issues that exist between our countries, whether it be the United States, Canada and Mexico, or other nations with whom we have engaged and ratified solemn treaties, the best way to do that is not in a unilateral fashion."
Obama said during his primary election battle against Democratic rival Hillary Clinton he would he would reopen NAFTA negotiations. But since winning his party's nomination, Obama has backed away from that position.
IMMIGRATION, DRUGS
McCain visited a basilica on Thursday morning and held a lunch with American and Mexican business leaders, where trade featured high on the agenda.
At a news conference in an airplane hanger, McCain touted his positions on immigration and praised an initiative to help stem the flow of illegal drugs into the United States.
"The United States of America and the country of Mexico must secure our borders. That will require some walls, it will require virtual fences," he said in response to a question about whether walls were needed on the U.S.-Mexican border.
He said the United States should create a temporary worker program, which he believed would dissuade people from crossing the border. "When it is known that people who come to our country illegally cannot get a job, that will then cut off the magnet that attracts people."
The U.S. Congress approved $400 million (202 million pounds) in aid last month to pay for drug smuggling surveillance equipment, the first instalment of the $1.4 billion "Merida Initiative" pledged by President George W. Bush when he met Calderon last year.
Mexico welcomed the aid, which will pay for new helicopters and surveillance devices, and said it showed Washington recognized narcotics trafficking is a shared problem.
"I believe that the Merida Initiative may be more important than any agreement that we've made," McCain said.
(Additional reporting by Catherine Bremer, editing by Alan Elsner)
Showing posts with label Merida Initiative. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Merida Initiative. Show all posts
July 5, 2008
July 3, 2008
McCain: Staff shake-up part of 'natural evolution'
By BETH FOUHYAssociated Press Writer
July 03, 2008 - 10:51 p.m.
Republican presidential candidate John McCain said Thursday that a shake-up in the leadership of his campaign was part of a "natural evolution" as the organization becomes more national in scope.
McCain's campaign announced Wednesday that top adviser Steve Schmidt would assume a broad portfolio of duties, with nearly full control over message and strategy. Schmidt will report to Rick Davis, who will keep the title of campaign manager but focus on longer term matters like the Republican National Convention and McCain's choice of a running mate.
Addressing reporters at the conclusion of a three-day visit to Colombia and Mexico, the GOP nominee-in-waiting downplayed the personnel shift.
"Our campaign continues to grow, and the responsibilities are expanding and Mr. Schmidt is taking over some increased responsibilities," McCain said. "Rick Davis remains the campaign chairman, campaign manager. It's a natural evolution as we become more and more of a national campaign with increased staff and increased responsibilities."
Schmidt disclosed in memo Thursday to the 11 regional campaign managers that he will hire a national political director and a national field director to operate from the campaign's northern Virginia headquarters to improve regional operations and coordination.
He said the goal is to increase the capacity to "reach out to voters, build coalitions, identify supporters, and ultimately turn them out to the polls."
"In the days ahead, we will be working to enhance and strengthen the coordination between all these aspects of the campaign," Schmidt said.
The staff changes - coming after Republican complaints that the Arizona senator's campaign lacked focus and a coherent message - threatened to overshadow McCain's trip through Latin America and his effort to present himself as a statesman experienced in foreign affairs.
McCain met Thursday with Mexican President Felipe Calderon to discuss trade and immigration issues. They spoke at length about the Merida Initiative, a U.S.-sponsored effort to stem the flow of drugs and guns across the Mexico border, McCain said.
McCain and his wife, Cindy, also toured a federal police station where they reviewed drug interdiction training programs.
McCain began the day at the Basilica de Guadalupe, Mexico's holiest Roman Catholic site, where he viewed the famed portrait of the Virgin of Guadalupe and received a blessing from the Basilica's monsignor.
McCain laid a wreath of white roses at the altar and stood atop the Papal balcony. He was accompanied by President Bush's brother, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, who was in Mexico on business.
"I think he's going to win," Jeb Bush said of McCain's chances against Democrat Barack Obama. "He just needs to be himself and not let Sen. Obama redefine himself."
McCain's visit to the Basilica had clear political overtones as Catholic and Hispanic voters are expected to be key swing voters in the November election. Obama also has worked to woo Catholics and Hispanics after those groups voted heavily for Democrat Hillary Rodham Clinton during the primary season.
McCain's trip to Colombia and Mexico was billed primarily as an opportunity to promote free trade in the Western Hemisphere.
Obama has spoken out against NAFTA, the North American Free Trade Agreement, and a pending free-trade pact with Colombia, both of which are unpopular in important general election swing states like Ohio. McCain wants to help workers displaced by free-trade agreements receive job training and other benefits.
The McCains were returning to Phoenix late Thursday, and planned to spend the Fourth of July holiday at the family compound outside Sedona, Ariz.
July 03, 2008 - 10:51 p.m.
Republican presidential candidate John McCain said Thursday that a shake-up in the leadership of his campaign was part of a "natural evolution" as the organization becomes more national in scope.
McCain's campaign announced Wednesday that top adviser Steve Schmidt would assume a broad portfolio of duties, with nearly full control over message and strategy. Schmidt will report to Rick Davis, who will keep the title of campaign manager but focus on longer term matters like the Republican National Convention and McCain's choice of a running mate.
Addressing reporters at the conclusion of a three-day visit to Colombia and Mexico, the GOP nominee-in-waiting downplayed the personnel shift.
"Our campaign continues to grow, and the responsibilities are expanding and Mr. Schmidt is taking over some increased responsibilities," McCain said. "Rick Davis remains the campaign chairman, campaign manager. It's a natural evolution as we become more and more of a national campaign with increased staff and increased responsibilities."
Schmidt disclosed in memo Thursday to the 11 regional campaign managers that he will hire a national political director and a national field director to operate from the campaign's northern Virginia headquarters to improve regional operations and coordination.
He said the goal is to increase the capacity to "reach out to voters, build coalitions, identify supporters, and ultimately turn them out to the polls."
"In the days ahead, we will be working to enhance and strengthen the coordination between all these aspects of the campaign," Schmidt said.
The staff changes - coming after Republican complaints that the Arizona senator's campaign lacked focus and a coherent message - threatened to overshadow McCain's trip through Latin America and his effort to present himself as a statesman experienced in foreign affairs.
McCain met Thursday with Mexican President Felipe Calderon to discuss trade and immigration issues. They spoke at length about the Merida Initiative, a U.S.-sponsored effort to stem the flow of drugs and guns across the Mexico border, McCain said.
McCain and his wife, Cindy, also toured a federal police station where they reviewed drug interdiction training programs.
McCain began the day at the Basilica de Guadalupe, Mexico's holiest Roman Catholic site, where he viewed the famed portrait of the Virgin of Guadalupe and received a blessing from the Basilica's monsignor.
McCain laid a wreath of white roses at the altar and stood atop the Papal balcony. He was accompanied by President Bush's brother, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, who was in Mexico on business.
"I think he's going to win," Jeb Bush said of McCain's chances against Democrat Barack Obama. "He just needs to be himself and not let Sen. Obama redefine himself."
McCain's visit to the Basilica had clear political overtones as Catholic and Hispanic voters are expected to be key swing voters in the November election. Obama also has worked to woo Catholics and Hispanics after those groups voted heavily for Democrat Hillary Rodham Clinton during the primary season.
McCain's trip to Colombia and Mexico was billed primarily as an opportunity to promote free trade in the Western Hemisphere.
Obama has spoken out against NAFTA, the North American Free Trade Agreement, and a pending free-trade pact with Colombia, both of which are unpopular in important general election swing states like Ohio. McCain wants to help workers displaced by free-trade agreements receive job training and other benefits.
The McCains were returning to Phoenix late Thursday, and planned to spend the Fourth of July holiday at the family compound outside Sedona, Ariz.
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.
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.
U.S. funds for Mexico drug war frustrate Texas sheriffs
July 3, 2008, 3:30AM
They're demanding more federal help as they fight cartels along the border
By STEWART M. POWELL
Copyright 2008 Houston Chronicle San Antonio Bureau
WASHINGTON — Besieged Texas sheriffs vowed Wednesday to press the White House and Congress to deliver emergency assistance to law enforcement officers battling drug cartels along the Mexican border to match the $400 million on its way to Mexico.
The sheriffs said they were frustrated that President Bush and Congress agreed to provide assistance to Mexico, as part of the Merida Initiative, without offering additional federal help to their departments.
The officers said they would seek direct federal assistance, as well as changes in Department of Homeland Security restrictions to permit local law enforcement departments to use homeland security funds to hire additional officers.
Regulations currently require local police and sheriff's departments to devote homeland security money to equipment, technology and paying officers overtime.
Implementation of the Merida Initiative is ''really disappointing and disheartening because Washington seems totally oblivious to what we're facing on the Mexican border," said Webb County Sheriff Rick Flores, chairman of the 19-county Texas Border Sheriff's Coalition.
''If they allocate resources and money to Mexico, they should also consider protecting our side of the border first."
Flores, who said he has faced death threats three times in the past three years, has received $1.8 million in federal assistance over the past 36 months. He said he needed $14.5 million in additional federal help over the next five years to hire 25 new deputies to join his hard-pressed department of 37 deputies.
Mexico will receive ''all the equipment," Flores said. ''They're going to be two notches above what we have. We would really like to have one of those helicopters in our neck of the woods."
The Merida Initiative calls for the United States to provide eight 13-passenger transport helicopters to Mexican security forces.
Hidalgo County Sheriff Guadalupe Trevino Jr. decried the assistance going only to Mexico.
''You would think there would be a bilateral approach to attack the problem from both angles when we're giving money to a foreign country to fight a drug problem that greatly contributes to our problems," Trevino said.
''I consider it kind of disappointing that the federal government saw a greater need for foreign aid than for helping local law enforcement."
Bush signed the Merida Initiative into law on Monday, as part of a multi-faceted emergency budget supplemental package that provided money for U.S. military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan through next summer. The House and Senate passed the package by wide margins with bipartisan support.
The legislation included $400 million in the first year for U.S. training, equipment and other assistance to bolster Mexican President Felipe Calderon's $4 billion campaign against drug traffickers, using 30,000 security forces against well-funded cartels that have killed more than 4,000 people over the past 21 months, including an estimated 450 security forces and local officials.
Bush's overall plan calls for $1.6 billion to be spent over three years to help Mexico, Central America, Haiti and the Dominican Republic combat drug traffickers. Of that amount, $1.4 billion is intended for Mexico.
Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, R-Texas, a member of the powerful Senate Appropriations Committee, had added $100 million to the emergency supplemental spending bill during Senate deliberations to bolster U.S. law enforcement agencies along the 1,947-mile border. But the House knocked out the added spending in the final compromise.
Members of the Texas congressional delegation have vowed to press for additional money for border sheriffs.
U.S. drug czar John Walters defended the administration's decision to funnel assistance to Mexico without providing matching assistance to U.S. law enforcement.
Assistance to Mexico "magnifies what can be done" with the billions of dollars that the federal government already provides state and local law enforcement, Walters said. ''We don't see this as either-or."
stewart.powell@chron.com
They're demanding more federal help as they fight cartels along the border
By STEWART M. POWELL
Copyright 2008 Houston Chronicle San Antonio Bureau
WASHINGTON — Besieged Texas sheriffs vowed Wednesday to press the White House and Congress to deliver emergency assistance to law enforcement officers battling drug cartels along the Mexican border to match the $400 million on its way to Mexico.
The sheriffs said they were frustrated that President Bush and Congress agreed to provide assistance to Mexico, as part of the Merida Initiative, without offering additional federal help to their departments.
The officers said they would seek direct federal assistance, as well as changes in Department of Homeland Security restrictions to permit local law enforcement departments to use homeland security funds to hire additional officers.
Regulations currently require local police and sheriff's departments to devote homeland security money to equipment, technology and paying officers overtime.
Implementation of the Merida Initiative is ''really disappointing and disheartening because Washington seems totally oblivious to what we're facing on the Mexican border," said Webb County Sheriff Rick Flores, chairman of the 19-county Texas Border Sheriff's Coalition.
''If they allocate resources and money to Mexico, they should also consider protecting our side of the border first."
Flores, who said he has faced death threats three times in the past three years, has received $1.8 million in federal assistance over the past 36 months. He said he needed $14.5 million in additional federal help over the next five years to hire 25 new deputies to join his hard-pressed department of 37 deputies.
Mexico will receive ''all the equipment," Flores said. ''They're going to be two notches above what we have. We would really like to have one of those helicopters in our neck of the woods."
The Merida Initiative calls for the United States to provide eight 13-passenger transport helicopters to Mexican security forces.
Hidalgo County Sheriff Guadalupe Trevino Jr. decried the assistance going only to Mexico.
''You would think there would be a bilateral approach to attack the problem from both angles when we're giving money to a foreign country to fight a drug problem that greatly contributes to our problems," Trevino said.
''I consider it kind of disappointing that the federal government saw a greater need for foreign aid than for helping local law enforcement."
Bush signed the Merida Initiative into law on Monday, as part of a multi-faceted emergency budget supplemental package that provided money for U.S. military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan through next summer. The House and Senate passed the package by wide margins with bipartisan support.
The legislation included $400 million in the first year for U.S. training, equipment and other assistance to bolster Mexican President Felipe Calderon's $4 billion campaign against drug traffickers, using 30,000 security forces against well-funded cartels that have killed more than 4,000 people over the past 21 months, including an estimated 450 security forces and local officials.
Bush's overall plan calls for $1.6 billion to be spent over three years to help Mexico, Central America, Haiti and the Dominican Republic combat drug traffickers. Of that amount, $1.4 billion is intended for Mexico.
Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, R-Texas, a member of the powerful Senate Appropriations Committee, had added $100 million to the emergency supplemental spending bill during Senate deliberations to bolster U.S. law enforcement agencies along the 1,947-mile border. But the House knocked out the added spending in the final compromise.
Members of the Texas congressional delegation have vowed to press for additional money for border sheriffs.
U.S. drug czar John Walters defended the administration's decision to funnel assistance to Mexico without providing matching assistance to U.S. law enforcement.
Assistance to Mexico "magnifies what can be done" with the billions of dollars that the federal government already provides state and local law enforcement, Walters said. ''We don't see this as either-or."
stewart.powell@chron.com
June 27, 2008
$400 million in aid OK'd as yet another police official is slain
June 27, 2008, 11:13PM
$400 million in aid OK'd as yet another police official is slain
By MARION LLOYD
Copyright 2008 Houston Chronicle Foreign Service
MEXICO CITY — In a country where drug-related violence has killed nearly 2,000 people this year, including four police commanders, a beleaguered Mexico cheered U.S. congressional approval of a record $400 million to help it battle narcotics gangs.
In a 92-6 vote late Thursday, the U.S. Senate authorized a three-year, $1.6-billion package to combat drug trafficking in Mexico and Central America. The bill includes $65 million in anti-narcotics assistance for Central America this year.
President Bush, who originally proposed $1.5 billion in aid for Mexico and Central America under the provisions of the Merida Initiative, is expected to sign the measure into law.
"The United States is finally recognizing that this is a joint problem, a bilateral problem, and that it has a responsibility in this fight to work with the Mexican government," said Juan Camilo Mouriño, Mexico's interior minister, who oversees internal security.
The news came as another top police official was gunned down in the capital Thursday night. Igor Labastida, a federal police commander who was investigating corruption within the force, was eating tacos when a hit man opened fire with an Uzi submachine gun. Labastida and one of his bodyguards were killed and another one was wounded.
Labastida was the fourth top police commander killed in the capital in just two months. The most senior was Edgar Millan, who coordinated the civilian wing of the anti-narcotics effort. He was shot to death in May at the door to a Mexico City condo where he sometimes stayed.
"It's part of the battle that the Mexican state is waging against organized crime and it's their way of responding," said Mouriño.
However, he and other top officials have conceded that Mexico's security forces are outmatched. Of the more than 4,000 slain since President Felipe Calderon declared war on the drug gangs in January 2007, some 450 are police, soldiers or government officials.
The new anti-narcotics aid package — which is more than 10 times the $37 million disbursed to Mexico last year — is in the form of equipment, not cash. It would enable Mexico to buy more military transport planes, beef up border security to stem the flow of illegal weapons, and equip its inspectors with high-tech computer detection equipment.
However, about $57 million is contingent upon the government meeting human rights conditions.
"The United States wants to work with Mexico on these issues, including the need to hold accountable members of the military and the police who violate human rights," said a U.S. Senate aide who helped draft the bill. "This is not a blank check."
The plan calls for $73.5 million to be spent on judicial reform, institution-building and other activities aimed at strengthening the rule of law and combating corruption in Mexico. It also allocates $3 million to help Mexico create a national police registry.
However, some human rights activists said the $116 million earmarked for buying military equipment and technology was excessive.
Language watered down
That funding "strengthens the armed forces' hand at a time when the United States should be encouraging Mexico to develop its civilian police capabilities," the Washington Office on Latin America, a human rights advocacy group, said in a statement Friday. "These imbalances — military over police, hardware over the hard work of reform — are all reflections of fundamentally skewed priorities in the Mérida Initiative."
Mexico's National Human Rights Commission has documented more than 600 cases of alleged abuse by the security forces since Calderon dispatched more than 20,000 troops to battle the drug gangs in the initial months of his administration.
The original bill had even more stringent conditions, including requiring Mexico to create a civilian watchdog agency to report human rights violations and to hand cases of military abuses over to civilian courts. But that language was watered down after the Mexican government protested, claiming violation of its sovereignty.
U.S. to help with training
The Senate aide argued that the content of the bill remains essentially the same. The U.S. State Department, he said, will evaluate whether Mexico is upholding its commitment to prosecute human rights abuses by the military before releasing the remainder of the funds.
Mexican officials downplayed the conditions on the bill, saying they have every intention of upholding human rights.
Unlike Colombia, which has accepted billions of dollars in U.S. anti-narcotics aid over the past decade, Mexico has long resisted letting Washington take an active role in its drug war. But that attitude has shifted under Calderon.
Arguing that U.S. consumers are largely fueling the demand for illicit drugs, he has sought to shame the U.S. government into paying a share of the war costs.
Still, Mexican officials emphasized that the U.S. military would only help in training Mexican soldiers and police.
"Mexico will not accept the presence of U.S. troops in our national territory," said Espinosa.
Meanwhile, Mouriño argued the U.S. government also needed to do more to stop the flow of illegal weapons across the border, mostly from Texas.
"Are we totally satisfied with what they're doing? No," he said. "But we're satisfied to have been able to make the U.S. government aware of the degree of the problem, what it means to our country and the need for them to take action."
marionlloyd@gmail.com
$400 million in aid OK'd as yet another police official is slain
By MARION LLOYD
Copyright 2008 Houston Chronicle Foreign Service
MEXICO CITY — In a country where drug-related violence has killed nearly 2,000 people this year, including four police commanders, a beleaguered Mexico cheered U.S. congressional approval of a record $400 million to help it battle narcotics gangs.
In a 92-6 vote late Thursday, the U.S. Senate authorized a three-year, $1.6-billion package to combat drug trafficking in Mexico and Central America. The bill includes $65 million in anti-narcotics assistance for Central America this year.
President Bush, who originally proposed $1.5 billion in aid for Mexico and Central America under the provisions of the Merida Initiative, is expected to sign the measure into law.
"The United States is finally recognizing that this is a joint problem, a bilateral problem, and that it has a responsibility in this fight to work with the Mexican government," said Juan Camilo Mouriño, Mexico's interior minister, who oversees internal security.
The news came as another top police official was gunned down in the capital Thursday night. Igor Labastida, a federal police commander who was investigating corruption within the force, was eating tacos when a hit man opened fire with an Uzi submachine gun. Labastida and one of his bodyguards were killed and another one was wounded.
Labastida was the fourth top police commander killed in the capital in just two months. The most senior was Edgar Millan, who coordinated the civilian wing of the anti-narcotics effort. He was shot to death in May at the door to a Mexico City condo where he sometimes stayed.
"It's part of the battle that the Mexican state is waging against organized crime and it's their way of responding," said Mouriño.
However, he and other top officials have conceded that Mexico's security forces are outmatched. Of the more than 4,000 slain since President Felipe Calderon declared war on the drug gangs in January 2007, some 450 are police, soldiers or government officials.
The new anti-narcotics aid package — which is more than 10 times the $37 million disbursed to Mexico last year — is in the form of equipment, not cash. It would enable Mexico to buy more military transport planes, beef up border security to stem the flow of illegal weapons, and equip its inspectors with high-tech computer detection equipment.
However, about $57 million is contingent upon the government meeting human rights conditions.
"The United States wants to work with Mexico on these issues, including the need to hold accountable members of the military and the police who violate human rights," said a U.S. Senate aide who helped draft the bill. "This is not a blank check."
The plan calls for $73.5 million to be spent on judicial reform, institution-building and other activities aimed at strengthening the rule of law and combating corruption in Mexico. It also allocates $3 million to help Mexico create a national police registry.
However, some human rights activists said the $116 million earmarked for buying military equipment and technology was excessive.
Language watered down
That funding "strengthens the armed forces' hand at a time when the United States should be encouraging Mexico to develop its civilian police capabilities," the Washington Office on Latin America, a human rights advocacy group, said in a statement Friday. "These imbalances — military over police, hardware over the hard work of reform — are all reflections of fundamentally skewed priorities in the Mérida Initiative."
Mexico's National Human Rights Commission has documented more than 600 cases of alleged abuse by the security forces since Calderon dispatched more than 20,000 troops to battle the drug gangs in the initial months of his administration.
The original bill had even more stringent conditions, including requiring Mexico to create a civilian watchdog agency to report human rights violations and to hand cases of military abuses over to civilian courts. But that language was watered down after the Mexican government protested, claiming violation of its sovereignty.
U.S. to help with training
The Senate aide argued that the content of the bill remains essentially the same. The U.S. State Department, he said, will evaluate whether Mexico is upholding its commitment to prosecute human rights abuses by the military before releasing the remainder of the funds.
Mexican officials downplayed the conditions on the bill, saying they have every intention of upholding human rights.
Unlike Colombia, which has accepted billions of dollars in U.S. anti-narcotics aid over the past decade, Mexico has long resisted letting Washington take an active role in its drug war. But that attitude has shifted under Calderon.
Arguing that U.S. consumers are largely fueling the demand for illicit drugs, he has sought to shame the U.S. government into paying a share of the war costs.
Still, Mexican officials emphasized that the U.S. military would only help in training Mexican soldiers and police.
"Mexico will not accept the presence of U.S. troops in our national territory," said Espinosa.
Meanwhile, Mouriño argued the U.S. government also needed to do more to stop the flow of illegal weapons across the border, mostly from Texas.
"Are we totally satisfied with what they're doing? No," he said. "But we're satisfied to have been able to make the U.S. government aware of the degree of the problem, what it means to our country and the need for them to take action."
marionlloyd@gmail.com
June 13, 2008
Poe votes against drug-fighting plan
Poe votes against drug-fighting plan
Congressman Ted Poe voted against H.R. 6028, the Merida Initiative to Combat Illicit Narcotics and Reduce Organized Crime Authorization Act of 2008, according to a release issued by his press secretary.
Poe urged defeat of the $1.4 billion drug-fighting plan for Mexico and Central America because it ignores the needs of law enforcement fighting crime along the US border. The bill passed the US House by a vote of 311-106.
“I fully support the fight to end the violence along the US-Mexico border,” said Poe. “However, I just returned from Cameron County along the Texas Mexico border and let me assure you the violence is not just south of the border. Our border sheriffs have to beg, borrow and confiscate just to have enough to get by.”
Poe has been an outspoken critic of this legislation citing the needs of local law enforcement in the fight to secure our borders. Congressman Poe supports the efforts of the Merida Initiative to fight drug-related crime, but has been a strong advocate for supporting law enforcement efforts on both sides of the US-Mexico border by reallocating half of the funding to US law enforcement agencies along the border.
“I have been from one end of the Texas border to the other and I understand the gravity of the situation and the domestic consequences of the warring cartels in Mexico,” said Poe. “It is imperative that we address the situation in Mexico, but it is irresponsible to do so while ignoring the fact that our side of the border is already infested with drug related crime and in desperate need of funding.”
According to the Department of Homeland Security, there have been more than 250 incursions by suspected Mexican military units into the US in the last 10 years. In addition, kidnappings on both sides of the border and assassinations of Mexican law enforcement continue to rise at an alarming pace.
“Our border sheriffs are out-gunned and out-manned by the cartels’ hired guns, many of which were trained in the US,” said Poe. “Past agreements with Mexico to fight drug trafficking in their country have proven disastrous. Many members of the notorious ‘Zetas’ were Mexican military trained in our own country. Mexican officials originally supported the $1.4 billion gift, but then refused to take it if it was subject to US oversight. If that’s not a red flag, I don’t know what is.”
http://www.hcnonline.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=19770200&BRD=1574&PAG=461&dept_id=635439&rfi=6
Congressman Ted Poe voted against H.R. 6028, the Merida Initiative to Combat Illicit Narcotics and Reduce Organized Crime Authorization Act of 2008, according to a release issued by his press secretary.
Poe urged defeat of the $1.4 billion drug-fighting plan for Mexico and Central America because it ignores the needs of law enforcement fighting crime along the US border. The bill passed the US House by a vote of 311-106.
“I fully support the fight to end the violence along the US-Mexico border,” said Poe. “However, I just returned from Cameron County along the Texas Mexico border and let me assure you the violence is not just south of the border. Our border sheriffs have to beg, borrow and confiscate just to have enough to get by.”
Poe has been an outspoken critic of this legislation citing the needs of local law enforcement in the fight to secure our borders. Congressman Poe supports the efforts of the Merida Initiative to fight drug-related crime, but has been a strong advocate for supporting law enforcement efforts on both sides of the US-Mexico border by reallocating half of the funding to US law enforcement agencies along the border.
“I have been from one end of the Texas border to the other and I understand the gravity of the situation and the domestic consequences of the warring cartels in Mexico,” said Poe. “It is imperative that we address the situation in Mexico, but it is irresponsible to do so while ignoring the fact that our side of the border is already infested with drug related crime and in desperate need of funding.”
According to the Department of Homeland Security, there have been more than 250 incursions by suspected Mexican military units into the US in the last 10 years. In addition, kidnappings on both sides of the border and assassinations of Mexican law enforcement continue to rise at an alarming pace.
“Our border sheriffs are out-gunned and out-manned by the cartels’ hired guns, many of which were trained in the US,” said Poe. “Past agreements with Mexico to fight drug trafficking in their country have proven disastrous. Many members of the notorious ‘Zetas’ were Mexican military trained in our own country. Mexican officials originally supported the $1.4 billion gift, but then refused to take it if it was subject to US oversight. If that’s not a red flag, I don’t know what is.”
http://www.hcnonline.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=19770200&BRD=1574&PAG=461&dept_id=635439&rfi=6
June 10, 2008
Foreign Drug-Trafficking Bill Passes in House
Foreign Drug-Trafficking Bill Passes in House
June 10, 2008
The House on Wednesday passed a three-year, $1.6 billion plan to fight drug trafficking from Mexico and Central America.
The funding would be used to train and equip security forces, strengthen the rule of law and judicial systems, and boost a U.S. program to prevent guns from traveling illegally into Mexico.
The bill, which passed 311-106, largely reflects a plan developed by President Bush and Mexican President Felipe Calderón known as the Merida Initiative, for the Mexican city where the leaders unveiled it in 2007.
The bill would authorize $595 million for fiscal 2008, $645 million for fiscal 2009 and $350 million for fiscal 2010.
The Senate supplemental would provide $450 million for fiscal 2008; the House version would include $461.5 million. The administration had requested $550 million.
Members cited Mexico’s increasingly violent drug war, which has taken some 6,000 lives in the last two years, including recent assassinations of two top police officials.
“Mexico is burning,” said Rep. Brian P. Bilbray , R-Calif., who represents an area north of San Diego. “We are not taking on a war on drugs down at the border, we are taking on the battle against narcoterrorism.”
The bill would authorize $1.1 billion for Mexico, $405 million for Central America and $73.5 million for Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives programs that target the smuggling of guns into Mexico from the United States.
Several Texas Republicans said the bill should have included programs to address illegal immigration and the drug trade on the domestic side.
“It is inexcusable, it is intolerable to send one dime to the Mexican government when they can afford to pay for this equipment themselves,” said John Culberson , R-Texas. “But more importantly, our southern border is not secure.”
http://www.cqpolitics.com/wmspage.cfm?parm1=5&docID=cqmidday-000002893713
June 10, 2008
The House on Wednesday passed a three-year, $1.6 billion plan to fight drug trafficking from Mexico and Central America.
The funding would be used to train and equip security forces, strengthen the rule of law and judicial systems, and boost a U.S. program to prevent guns from traveling illegally into Mexico.
The bill, which passed 311-106, largely reflects a plan developed by President Bush and Mexican President Felipe Calderón known as the Merida Initiative, for the Mexican city where the leaders unveiled it in 2007.
The bill would authorize $595 million for fiscal 2008, $645 million for fiscal 2009 and $350 million for fiscal 2010.
The Senate supplemental would provide $450 million for fiscal 2008; the House version would include $461.5 million. The administration had requested $550 million.
Members cited Mexico’s increasingly violent drug war, which has taken some 6,000 lives in the last two years, including recent assassinations of two top police officials.
“Mexico is burning,” said Rep. Brian P. Bilbray , R-Calif., who represents an area north of San Diego. “We are not taking on a war on drugs down at the border, we are taking on the battle against narcoterrorism.”
The bill would authorize $1.1 billion for Mexico, $405 million for Central America and $73.5 million for Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives programs that target the smuggling of guns into Mexico from the United States.
Several Texas Republicans said the bill should have included programs to address illegal immigration and the drug trade on the domestic side.
“It is inexcusable, it is intolerable to send one dime to the Mexican government when they can afford to pay for this equipment themselves,” said John Culberson , R-Texas. “But more importantly, our southern border is not secure.”
http://www.cqpolitics.com/wmspage.cfm?parm1=5&docID=cqmidday-000002893713
May 22, 2008
Merida Initiative Continues to Move Forward
Press Releases 08
Merida Initiative Continues to Move Forward
Statement by Ambassador Antonio O. Garza
Mexico City, May 22, 2008 - “Today the U.S. Senate passed a supplemental budget bill that includes funding of the Merida Initiative. This is another step forward for this important program to strengthen cooperation between the United States and Mexico to fight the drug trade and organized crime that impact both our nations. However, it is still not final action.
“It is important to point out that, due to differences in the versions of the bill passed by the House and the Senate, we expect the legislative process to continue over the next several weeks before a finalized bill is sent to the President. During this process, the contents of the bill could change significantly.
“The inclusion of funding of the Merida Initiative in both the House and Senate’s bills signals Congressional support for this important measure to enhance ongoing U.S. programs for cooperating and coordinating with the Mexican government. President Bush’s support for the initiative has been unwavering. He strongly believes we must support our neighbor in the fight against organized criminal organizations that threaten citizens in both our countries.
“The version of the bill approved today by the Senate differs significantly from the version passed by the House last week, particularly as it relates to domestic spending and funding of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Due to these disparities, the House must now either vote on the Senate’s bill, or a conference committee must convene to work out new language.
“Once both legislative chambers have agreed upon a bill, it will be presented to the President for approval. I am confident that the Merida Initiative will be enacted in due course, enabling Mexico and the U.S. to build upon our already successful security cooperation and share in the fight against narcotrafficking. I again urge U.S. legislators to pass this important program.”
http://www.usembassy-mexico.gov/eng/releases/ep080522MI_forward.html
Merida Initiative Continues to Move Forward
Statement by Ambassador Antonio O. Garza
Mexico City, May 22, 2008 - “Today the U.S. Senate passed a supplemental budget bill that includes funding of the Merida Initiative. This is another step forward for this important program to strengthen cooperation between the United States and Mexico to fight the drug trade and organized crime that impact both our nations. However, it is still not final action.
“It is important to point out that, due to differences in the versions of the bill passed by the House and the Senate, we expect the legislative process to continue over the next several weeks before a finalized bill is sent to the President. During this process, the contents of the bill could change significantly.
“The inclusion of funding of the Merida Initiative in both the House and Senate’s bills signals Congressional support for this important measure to enhance ongoing U.S. programs for cooperating and coordinating with the Mexican government. President Bush’s support for the initiative has been unwavering. He strongly believes we must support our neighbor in the fight against organized criminal organizations that threaten citizens in both our countries.
“The version of the bill approved today by the Senate differs significantly from the version passed by the House last week, particularly as it relates to domestic spending and funding of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Due to these disparities, the House must now either vote on the Senate’s bill, or a conference committee must convene to work out new language.
“Once both legislative chambers have agreed upon a bill, it will be presented to the President for approval. I am confident that the Merida Initiative will be enacted in due course, enabling Mexico and the U.S. to build upon our already successful security cooperation and share in the fight against narcotrafficking. I again urge U.S. legislators to pass this important program.”
http://www.usembassy-mexico.gov/eng/releases/ep080522MI_forward.html
April 8, 2008
The Merida Initiative
Fact Sheet
Bureau of Public Affairs
Washington, DC
April 8, 2008
The Merida Initiative
The Merida Initiative demonstrates the United States’ commitment to partner with governments in Mexico and Central America to confront criminal organizations whose actions plague the region and spill over into the United States.
The Initiative’s Scope
The Merida Initiative is a multi-year proposal to provide equipment and training to support law enforcement operations and technical assistance for long-term reform and oversight of security agencies. Last year, President George W. Bush requested an initial $500 million for Mexico and $50 million for Central America, which is included in the FY08 Supplemental request. The FY09 budget proposal includes $450 million for Mexico and $100 million for Central America.
U.S. Domestic Efforts
The Merida Initiative complements U.S. domestic efforts to reduce drug demand, stop the flow of arms and weapons, and confront gangs and criminal organizations. The initiative also complements broader efforts by the Governments of Mexico and of Central America to engage on every front in the battle against organized crime.
Why Now?
Daily developments on the ground in Mexico and Central America demonstrate the urgent need for action. The criminal organizations, under great pressure by law enforcement agencies, are behaving in increasingly violent ways. Our partners in the region are confronting transnational gangs and criminal organizations at great personal and financial costs. It is in the national security interest of the United States to support our partners’ fight against this scourge, prevent further violence from spilling over our border, and make our streets safe once again from drug and gang-related crime. They are doing their part – we must do ours.
Components
If approved, the Merida Initiative will provide funding for:
Non-intrusive inspection equipment, ion scanners and canine units for Mexico and Central America to interdict trafficked drugs, arms, cash and persons.
Technologies to improve and secure communications systems that collect criminal information in Mexico.
Technical advice and training to strengthen the institutions of justice – vetting for the new police force, case management software to track investigations through the system, new offices of citizen complaints and professional responsibility, and witness protection programs to Mexico.
Helicopters and surveillance aircraft to support interdiction activities and rapid response of law enforcement agencies to Mexico.
Equipment, training and community action programs in Central American countries to implement anti-gang measures and expand the reach of these measures.
Regional Solutions
By working collaboratively with Mexico and Central America, we confront this regional threat with a regional solution, and undermine the ability of criminal organizations to adapt their behaviors and evade justice.
http://www.state.gov/r/pa/scp/2008/103374.htm
Bureau of Public Affairs
Washington, DC
April 8, 2008
The Merida Initiative
The Merida Initiative demonstrates the United States’ commitment to partner with governments in Mexico and Central America to confront criminal organizations whose actions plague the region and spill over into the United States.
The Initiative’s Scope
The Merida Initiative is a multi-year proposal to provide equipment and training to support law enforcement operations and technical assistance for long-term reform and oversight of security agencies. Last year, President George W. Bush requested an initial $500 million for Mexico and $50 million for Central America, which is included in the FY08 Supplemental request. The FY09 budget proposal includes $450 million for Mexico and $100 million for Central America.
U.S. Domestic Efforts
The Merida Initiative complements U.S. domestic efforts to reduce drug demand, stop the flow of arms and weapons, and confront gangs and criminal organizations. The initiative also complements broader efforts by the Governments of Mexico and of Central America to engage on every front in the battle against organized crime.
Why Now?
Daily developments on the ground in Mexico and Central America demonstrate the urgent need for action. The criminal organizations, under great pressure by law enforcement agencies, are behaving in increasingly violent ways. Our partners in the region are confronting transnational gangs and criminal organizations at great personal and financial costs. It is in the national security interest of the United States to support our partners’ fight against this scourge, prevent further violence from spilling over our border, and make our streets safe once again from drug and gang-related crime. They are doing their part – we must do ours.
Components
If approved, the Merida Initiative will provide funding for:
Non-intrusive inspection equipment, ion scanners and canine units for Mexico and Central America to interdict trafficked drugs, arms, cash and persons.
Technologies to improve and secure communications systems that collect criminal information in Mexico.
Technical advice and training to strengthen the institutions of justice – vetting for the new police force, case management software to track investigations through the system, new offices of citizen complaints and professional responsibility, and witness protection programs to Mexico.
Helicopters and surveillance aircraft to support interdiction activities and rapid response of law enforcement agencies to Mexico.
Equipment, training and community action programs in Central American countries to implement anti-gang measures and expand the reach of these measures.
Regional Solutions
By working collaboratively with Mexico and Central America, we confront this regional threat with a regional solution, and undermine the ability of criminal organizations to adapt their behaviors and evade justice.
http://www.state.gov/r/pa/scp/2008/103374.htm
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