Pubdate: Sat, 30 Jul 2005
Source: San Antonio Express-News (TX)
Copyright: 2005 San Antonio Express-News
Contact:  http://www.mysanantonio.com/expressnews/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/384
Author: Dane Schiller, Express-News Mexico City Bureau
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/topics/mexico

NUEVO LAREDO CONSULATE CLOSED

MEXICO CITY - The U.S. government is temporarily shutting its
consulate in Nuevo Laredo, citing new safety concerns in the wake of a
high-stakes drug-cartel turf war that intensified this week to include
rocket-propelled grenades, officials said.

U.S. Ambassador Tony Garza said an early Friday morning gangland
battle involving "unusually advanced weaponry," led to the decision to
close the consulate for all but emergency services for one week.

"I have made this decision so that we can assess the security
situation for our employees, American travelers to the region, and
visitors to the consulate," said Garza, who for months has warned that
cartel violence in Nuevo Laredo was a danger to U.S. citizens.

"We will be gauging what should be a swift and certain response from
the government of Mexico to bring this situation under control," said
Garza, who added that a decision on whether to reopen the consulate
will be made a week from Monday, when the closure starts.

The office of Mexican President Vicente Fox didn't have an immediate
reaction to the closure announcement, which was made at the close of
business Friday.

But Mexico's foreign ministry did issue a brief statement. It did not
criticize the consulate's closure, but noted the U.S. government is
recognizing that Mexico is and will continue to fight the cartels.

"As we have reiterated many times, the federal government has
maintained a constant fight and made a series of efforts to halt
violence on the border," the statement read.

Fox and Garza have clashed over some of the U.S. government's
criticisms of Mexico's efforts to cut down the cartels and control
violence that has claimed as many as 100 lives in Nuevo Laredo so far
this year.

The clash is said to be part of a battle between drug cartels for
control of the underworld of Nuevo Laredo and thus access to coveted
smuggling routes for sneaking cocaine and marijuana into South Texas
by hiding it among otherwise legitimate commercial traffic.

Raul Salinas, a retired FBI agent who was based in Mexico and is
running for mayor of Laredo, located across the Rio Grande from Nuevo
Laredo, said the public may not know all the details regarding the
reasons behind the closure.

"We have to take the appropriate measures to ensure the safety of
every American, especially those working at government posts abroad,"
he said. "We do not know if there have been threats, but when you have
a threat, the first thing you do is respond accordingly."

In the latest round of violence, two residential homes were targeted
late Thursday and early Friday. Both were sprayed with machine gun
fire and one hit with what was believed to be grenade launcher.
According to media reports, more than 1,000 rounds were fired in the
attack Thursday and at least three people may have been kidnapped.

"The battle left a residential street resembling a war zone," the
Associated Press reported from Nuevo Laredo. "Grenades were strewn
about the scene, and soldiers who moved in to recover them said they
had been lobbed at the home and exploded."

The Associated Press also said three massive shell casings, believed
to be from a rocket launcher, were found, according to unnamed
investigators.

There was no official police version of the events Friday. Police said
no one had been injured or killed, but splotches of blood stained the
streets in front of one house, according to the Associated Press report.

Mexico's attorney general's office released a statement saying it is
investigating the shooting and provided a detailed list of some of the
items seized from an attacked home, including 14 photos of men in
municipal police uniforms, along with their names and nicknames.

Police have taken a dangerous and high profile roll in the ongoing
violence. Officers have both been arrested for assisting drug cartels
and killed for either helping a rival or refusing to turn a blind eye
to criminal activity. They are seen as key to controlling the streets
of Nuevo Laredo.

What happens is often referred to as the 'silver or lead offer,' as in
take the money and play along with us or be shot to death if you don't.

Other items found at the home included assault rifles, hundreds of
rounds of ammunition, communications equipment and a Chevy Tahoe
registered to a Laredo address.

Meanwhile, the U.S. decision to close the Nuevo Laredo consulate will
likely further intensify an ongoing spat between the United States and
Mexico over how to handle the cartels.

Fox has declared to "fight the mother of all battles," against the
cartels and recently unleashed an operation in which hundreds of
soldiers and federal police were dispatched to the border to help
restore order.

A U.S. official who declined to be named said the closure decision was
about safety, not about politics.

"We are worried that people are getting killed and these weapons will
bring the numbers up a lot," said the official, who noted that reports
indicated rocket-propelled grenades, machine guns and other weapons
were used in the attack in a residential area.

"There is a general concern the situation is getting worse, not
better," he said.
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MAP posted-by: Larry Seguin