| Mexico receives support from Colombia and the U.S. in the fight against crime |
| 1 September 2010 Section: PUBLIC SAFETY |
In a meeting that gives something to talk about, due to the environment of effervescence in matters of public security and particularly with respect to the recent detonation of a car bomb in Ciudad Juárez -by organized crime-, President Felipe Calderón met privately last July with the president-elect of Colombia, Juan Manuel Santos.
This meeting was announced by the spokeswoman of the federal executive, who in turn explained that during the meeting the continuity of common projects in the field of security and combating organized crime was discussed through the High-Level Groups of Security and Justice Mexico-Colombia and the Bilateral Committee for Cooperation against Illicit Trafficking in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances.
During the meeting, they discussed issues on the bilateral agenda and reviewed regional and multilateral issues of common interest, in order to continue the close collaboration that exists between the two countries. They agreed that, due to the excellent state of the relationship between the two nations, there are opportunities to further deepen the ties of mutual cooperation.
On regional issues, the Presidents reiterated their commitment to jointly promote with the countries of the region the work carried out within the framework of the Mesoamerican Integration and Development Project. They recognized the progress of this mechanism to build consensus and attract resources in favor of priority initiatives for the region, promoting closer ties of cooperation among the countries that make it up.
Calderón shared with the next Colombian president the progress in the preparation of the 16th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP-16), to be held at the end of the year in Mexico.
Within the agenda, it was reported that issues related to commercial exchange between the two countries were also addressed and referred to the XII Summit of the Tuxtla Mechanism, to be held soon in Colombia.
U.S. WILL INVESTIGATE
CAR BOMB
The U.S. government has set a position in which it said it will do everything it can to reduce the violence unleashed in Mexico due to the war against organized crime, this a few days after a drug gang allegedly activated a car bomb in Ciudad Juárez.
"Maybe (the car bomb) represents a different tactic, but I think we've always recognized that unfortunately these cartels have an enormous amount of resources at their disposal and with them they can buy any equipment and training they want," State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley said during a meeting with reporters.
"We are determined, working with Mexico, to do everything in our power to reduce this violence that affects not only the Mexican people, but also our own," he added.
The bomb attack in Ciudad Juárez during the last half of July caused a tragedy involving three people killed when a Federal Police barracks was surprised in an unprecedented way with a car bomb, in what is one of the most dramatic manifestations of violence in Mexico.
The war on drugs has so far caused an unofficial average record of 24,800 deaths since President Felipe Calderón launched an offensive against drug cartels in December 2006. This event was the prelude to the city of Torreón -in the neighboring state of Coahuila-, another bloody chapter was developed with a fatal balance of 17 killed during a party.
"This is an ongoing struggle. It's hard. It will take a long time to complete it. But I think we are confident that we have the right relationship, that we have important cooperation with our Mexican colleagues," Crowley added.
Customs and Border Commissioner Alan Bersin said at a news conference that "the nature of the explosive is still under investigation and needs to be identified. The precise nature (of the incident) is what we need to investigate with our Mexican colleagues to find out exactly what it was and what implications it may have."
"We see this incident as part of an ongoing threat and have actively cooperated with Mexico to confront it. This effort involves technical assistance and information sharing. I have no information on what will be done specifically, but it will surely be the subject of consultations," the US official concluded.
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Authors: Editorial
