Pubdate: Fri, 6 Jun 2008 Source: El Paso Times (TX) Copyright: 2008 El Paso Times Contact: http://www.elpasotimes.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/829 Author: Chris Roberts, El Paso Times Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/topic/Merida+Initiative Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/area/Mexico (Mexico) Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/people/Felipe+Calderon U.S. OFFICIALS PRAISE MEXICO IN DRUG WAR Escalating violence in Mexico's border cities reflects the growing desperation of that country's drug cartels, three top-ranking counter-drug U.S. officials said Thursday. They also heaped praise on Mexican President Felipe Calderon's anti-drug efforts at their El Paso news conference. "President Calderon has been required to make some very tough decisions with respect to fighting these ruthless cartels," said Michael Braun, Drug Enforcement Administration chief of operations. "We respect these decisions. We respect those who are taking the fight to these very ruthless and vicious thugs. The president understands clearly the corrupting influence of these syndicates, and the time for action is now." With the same sense of urgency, the officials, who spoke at the El Paso Intelligence Center, said Congress must pass the Merida Initiative, a three-year, $1.4 billion plan proposed by the Bush administration to provide equipment and training for the Mexican military and law enforcement personnel. "The escalating violence in Mexico is an issue that requires the cooperation and assistance of the United States," U.S. Rep. Silvestre Reyes, D-Texas, said Thursday from Washington, D.C. "The Merida Initiative is an opportunity to work in partnership with Advertisement Mexico to make El Paso, the border region and our two nations safe from drug-related crime." However, human-rights provisions inserted into the plan by Congress have drawn criticism from Mexican officials sensitive to sovereignty issues. South of the border, the problem has been characterized as being driven by the U.S. demand for illegal drugs and fueled by a steady flow of weapons from the U.S. Cooperative efforts with Mexico are, in part, responsible for a decline in the availability of cocaine and methamphetamine on the nation's streets, said John P. Walters, director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy. "Mexico's making tremendous progress in standing up against some of the most violent groups in the world," Walters said. He said Calderon "is reforming institutions of justice, institutions of security, seeking to better finance and improve their ability to counter this dangerous threat to their country and obviously to the United States as well." Walters said "unreasonable conditions imposed by the Senate will serve only to provide excuses for not coming to the aid of a longstanding ally and friend at this critical time." In May, Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., said the U.S. has a right to insist that "taxpayer dollars not be given to corrupt, abusive police or military forces in a country whose justice system has serious flaws and rarely punishes official misconduct." The two governments have been exchanging sensitive information without negative consequence, Braun said. "On not one occasion have we experienced a compromise in our investigations or in a compromise of the safety of our personnel," he said. - --- MAP posted-by: Richard Lake