Pubdate: Tue, 21 Oct 2008 Source: Kansas City Star (MO) Copyright: 2008 The Kansas City Star Contact: http://www.kcstar.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/221 Author: Laurence Iliff Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/topics/mexico RICE TOPIC IN MEXICO IS ANTI-DRUG MEXICO CITY - Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is scheduled to meet with her Mexican counterpart today amid ongoing drug violence. The battling in Mexico recently has become so intense recently- with drug cartel attacks on U.S. facilities and a brazen prison escape along the Mexico-Texas border - that it has given rise to talk of legalizing drugs as an alternative. Near the top of the agenda between Rice and Foreign Minister Patricia Espinosa will be the Merida Initiative, a $400 million U.S. aid package signed into law by President Bush in June but hung up in bureaucratic procedures. Earlier this month, President Felipe Calderon called for an expedited release of those resources - mostly helicopters and surveillance planes - and analysts said that Rice was likely to hear similar words privately during her talks today and Thursday in Puerto Vallarta. George W. Grayson, a Mexico expert and professor of government at the College of William & Mary said the U.S. elections were likely to hold up the Merida Initiative. The State Department said this week in a news release that it was working with Mexico and moving forward with the initiative "as expeditiously as possible." - --- MAP posted-by: Larry Seguin