Pubdate: Wed, 24 Mar 2010
Source: Wall Street Journal (US)
Page: A13
Copyright: 2010 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
Contact:  http://www.wsj.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/487
Author: David Luhnow
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/topic/Mexico
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/topic/Merida+Initiative

MEXICO, U.S. SET ANTIDRUG PLANS

MEXICO CITY - The U.S. and Mexican governments on Tuesday unveiled a 
"guns and butter" strategy for cracking down on Mexico's violent drug 
cartels, promising to use not only military force, but social and 
economic strategies as well. During a high-profile visit by Secretary 
of State Hillary Clinton and a number of senior Obama administration 
officials, both sides agreed to expand cooperation under the $1.3 
billion Merida Initiative, a program begun in 2008 aimed at helping 
Mexico quell rising drug-related violence that has killed some 18,000 
people in the past three years.

The strategy goes beyond the initial focus on disrupting drug gangs 
through police and military means. It includes trying to strengthen 
Mexico's institutions and rule of law; creating a "smart" border that 
stops drugs, guns and drug money but allows commerce to continue; and 
trying to address the underlying problems that fuel drug violence, 
such as lack of job creation. "To combat the long-term effects of the 
drug trade, we want people to feel economic security and health 
security," Mrs. Clinton said. Mrs. Clinton, accompanied by Defense 
Secretary Robert Gates and Homeland Security Secretary Janet 
Napolitano, said the U.S. would try to speed up the delivery of aid 
under the Merida plan. Only $128 million of the Merida money has been 
delivered to Mexico.

"The [U.S. delegation] promised to try to resolve bottlenecks in the 
delivery of the aid that we need now," Mexico's Foreign Minister 
Patricia Espinosa said.

The visiting U.S. officials also pledged to take steps to curb demand 
for drugs in the U.S., which they acknowledged was the engine behind 
the violence in Mexico. Mrs. Clinton said U.S. anti-drug czar Gil 
Kerlikowske would in coming days announce a new plan to curtail drug 
consumption. Mrs. Clinton said the administration was looking at 
anything that worked in fighting drug cartels. When asked if that 
included legalizing or decriminalizing drugs like marijuana, she said 
"no." Critics of U.S. drug policy, including some Mexican officials, 
say the only way to hurt the cartels is to damage their finances by 
legalizing their products. In addition to equipment, such as 
helicopters and vans with X-ray machines that can scan passing 
vehicles, the U.S. aid also involves training Mexico's federal police 
in areas including collecting evidence, giving courses for prison 
officials, and promoting a culture of lawfulness in secondary 
schools. Some analysts say fixing Mexico's longstanding problems of 
police corruption and a dysfunctional legal system is still many 
years away. "The U.S. can help, but ultimately, addressing the drug 
violence is going to be up to Mexico," says Peter Hakim, president of 
the Inter-American Dialogue in Washington.

Mrs. Clinton heaped praise on Mexican President Felipe Calderon, whom 
she called "courageous" for standing up to drug gangs. Shortly after 
Mr. Calderon took power, he deployed as many as 45,000 troops 
throughout Mexico to try to curb drug gangs, even as he tried to 
create an honest corps of federal police. But the violence has grown.

Some analysts and Mexican officials say what is missing is a greater 
focus on trying to professionalize Mexico's local cops. "They need to 
spend money on local police departments," Jose Reyes Ferriz, the 
mayor of Ciudad Juarez, Mexico's most violent city, said Tuesday.

Officials from both sides said cooperation in anti-drug efforts has 
never been better. Ms. Espinosa said the U.S. had helped matters 
enormously by acknowledging the role it plays in fostering the 
violence and by building better trust with Mexican officials.
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MAP posted-by: Richard Lake