Pubdate: Tue, 25 Jan 2011
Source: Washington Post (DC)
Page: A10
Copyright: 2011 The Washington Post Company
Contact: http://mapinc.org/url/mUgeOPdZ
Website: http://www.washingtonpost.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/491
Author: Mary Beth Sheridan, Washington Post Staff Writer

IN MEXICO, CLINTON URGES FOCUS ON RIGHTS

GUANAJUATO, MEXICO - Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton 
expressed strong support Monday for Mexico's battle against violent 
drug cartels, but she emphasized that the country needed to do more 
to build democratic institutions and defend human rights.

Last year was Mexico's most violent since the Mexican Revolution, 
with more than 15,000 deaths related to narcotics. More than double 
that number have died since President Felipe Calderon dispatched the 
army to battle traffickers four years ago.

Asked during her one-day visit about human rights abuses by the 
military, which have soared in the past few years, Clinton said, "We 
think the Mexican government is also making progress here as well," 
then added that there was "more that needs to be done."

"There needs to be more legislation passed, which the Calderon 
government is hoping to achieve," she said. "We need to make sure any 
human rights violations committed by the military against civilians 
are tried in civilian courts. We know the Mexican government is 
working on that."

She also said Mexico needed a well-equipped, well-trained justice 
system, and added: "We stand ready to assist in that work."

Clinton traveled to this cobblestoned, Spanish colonial city to meet 
with her Mexican counterpart, Patricia Espinosa. She then flew on to 
Mexico City for a brief meeting with Calderon.

The trip was the idea of the Mexican foreign minister, who wanted to 
spend some one-on-one time with Clinton, according to U.S. and 
Mexican officials. The two chief diplomats more commonly meet in 
larger gatherings.

Both U.S. and Mexican officials say bilateral cooperation has never 
been better. But tensions have risen with the release of State 
Department cables by the group WikiLeaks that show U.S. officials 
frustrated with what they call Mexican law enforcement agencies' 
infighting, corruption and inability to develop intelligence.

Clinton sought to ease such tensions, telling reporters at a news 
conference that "I'm a fan" of Calderon. She praised his government 
for detaining or killing numerous high-ranking drug traffickers in 
the past year.

Analysts have criticized Calderon for focusing on killing kingpins 
and not paying enough attention to protecting citizens. Calderon's 
policy of using the military to aggressively confront traffickers has 
become increasingly unpopular in Mexico because of the sharp rise in bloodshed.

In addition, the military has been accused of committing thousands of 
violations of human rights.

In its annual worldwide report issued Monday, Human Rights Watch said 
the Mexican military "continues to commit serious abuses in public 
security operations, yet those responsible are virtually never held 
accountable."

Reform of the criminal justice system "continued to progress slowly 
in 2010, leaving in place a system rife with abuses," the report said.

The U.S. government has committed to support Mexico's anti-drug fight 
with at least $1.6 billion in equipment and training through its 
Merida Initiative.

The drug fight was only one topic on a bilateral agenda Monday that 
also focused on commerce, cross-border travel, the environment and 
other issues.

Mexico's ambassador to Washington, Arturo Sarukhan, said the two 
countries were eager to put together a "road map" of what they could 
accomplish by 2012, when both countries face presidential elections. 
Calderon is limited to one six-year term under the Mexican constitution.

"Whenever we have electoral cycles coinciding, a lot of silly things 
get said on both sides of the border," the ambassador said in an 
interview. The two governments, he added, want to make sure that such 
campaign rhetoric "doesn't contaminate the relationship" and that the 
neighbors "lock in a lot of the new mechanisms of cooperation and 
dialogue we have been developing with this administration, so there's 
no U-turn possible" under future administrations.  
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MAP posted-by: Richard Lake