Pubdate: Sun, 17 Sep 2006
Source: Charlotte Observer (NC)
Copyright: 2006 The Charlotte Observer
Contact:  http://www.charlotte.com/mld/observer/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/78

US, MEXICO TO ADDRESS DRUG VIOLENCE

MEXICO CITY - Mexican and U.S. officials will meet Thursday to 
discuss U.S. Ambassador Tony Garza's concerns about growing drug 
violence in Mexico, the government here said.

In a statement by the Foreign Relations Department late Friday, the 
Mexican government said it wanted to clarify "discrepancies" in a 
letter Garza sent a day earlier to the Mexican government.

The ambassador advised U.S. citizens to exercise extreme caution when 
traveling in Mexico because of "the rising level of brutal violence." 
On Saturday, U.S. Embassy spokeswoman Judith Bryan didn't have 
details on the meeting. But she said: "We look forward to working 
with the Mexican government on this subject of great importance to 
both countries." The statements came amid a wave of drug-related 
violence that has claimed more than 1,500 lives this year across 
Mexico, many in states on the U.S. border. The bloodshed, which is 
attributed to rival gangs battling over smuggling routes into the 
United States, has included beheadings, grenade attacks and 
execution-style hits on several police chiefs.
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