BBCUS Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, on a visit to Mexico, has reiterated her support for President Felipe Calderon's fight against drugs gangs.
Mrs Clinton said there was "no alternative" to confronting the cartels, despite rising violence that left more than 15,000 dead last year.
She said the US recognised the need to stop the flow of money and guns from the US to the cartels.
Mrs Clinton later met Mr Calderon and discussed security and economic issues.
Earlier she met her Mexican counterpart, Patricia Espinoza, in the city of Guanajuato.
Mrs Clinton said Mexico's policy of fighting the drugs gangs was "absolutely necessary," despite the high cost in bloodshed.
"It is messy. It causes lots of terrible things to be on the news," she said. "The drug traffickers are not going to give up without a fight".
Mrs Clinton praised the Mexican government's efforts to reform the judicial and prison systems, and promised to maintain US aid for the fight against organised crime.
Under a security cooperation programme called the Merida Initiative the US is spending around $1.7bn (£1bn) on helping Mexico and Central America tackle drug-trafficking.
More Wikileaks Cables Released.The BBC's Julian Miglierini in Mexico City says Mrs Clinton's visit is being viewed, in part, as an exercise in damage limitation following revelations by the whistleblowing website, Wikileaks.
Secret US diplomatic cables released by Wikileaks in recent weeks suggest US officials are privately sceptical about the ability of some Mexican security agencies to tackle the cartels.
One leaked cable, apparently sent in 2009, described Mexico's intelligence apparatus as "fractured, ad hoc and reliant on US support".
Since President Calderon launched a military offensive against the drug gangs in December 2006, violence has increased, especially in northern border areas, with more than 34,000 people killed.
Last year was the bloodiest so far, with 15,273 drug-related killings, according to Mexican government figures.
The Mexican authorities argue that the rising violence shows that the gangs are being weakened and turning increasingly on each other, but critics argue the use of troops has only served to provoke increasingly gruesome murders.
Also on Mrs Clinton's agenda in Mexico are economic issues, including the access of Mexican truck drivers to the US market, immigration and border control, and climate change.
After Canada and China, Mexico is the US's biggest trading partner, and is the second biggest market for US goods.
Blah-Blah-Blah...and I like Clinton, for a liberal shes tough. But really, this was puff and stuff meeting. Though BBC did not have the best overview.
ReplyDeleteI did like her op that reform in Mx is a must, judicial reform. Which is on my list of musts. Messicos new of standard of guilt is confusing at best adding to the strength of impunity.
Here is a good report on the visit...
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-01-25/clinton-says-mexico-reform-essential-to-beat-cartels-update1-.html
I agree Buela, the BBC didn't offer the best coverage, but it was better than most of the 3 sentence blurbs I pulled up on all the other major news outlets, plus it was the only one that included that new Wikileaks cable.
ReplyDeleteFor that matter, not to diss the BBC but when they claimed there was an 'Acapulco cartel," that only told me that whoever wrote that article didn't do enough research on the subject to understand the dynamics of organized crime in Aca.
Still, it saved me a little bit of translation work...
You know on the drug & gun issue enough has been and is being said about it but on another note, I personally don't mind Mexican trucks and truckers on our U.S. roads ONLY if they pass all inspections and are legal. Safety is a major concern since my family is on the road too! I've seen there trucks in Mexico and some are very scary!
ReplyDeleteI don't care where the trucks are from as long as they have insurance, a proper inspection sticker, and they comply with the hour restrictions...
ReplyDeletei really recommend that we allow Mexican trucks to cross the border with only minimal inspections....this is a wonderful plan to assist international businessmen in transporting goods into the USA..green light all the way on this one...NOT!!!!...WRONG!!!
ReplyDeletewhy can't American trucks handle it...while the goods are being transferred would be a good time to inspect them ..
.seems like a taylor made plan to facilitate smuggling...
Smurf...
ReplyDeleteoops...sorry friend, my post did not come out as intended. Lets try again..
" here is another link regarding Hilary's visit, it has additonal info..." (red-faced smile)
BTW...this is in spanish but did you see this?
http://www.elpais.com/articulo/internacional/Sicarios/adiestrados/EE/UU/elpepuint/20110123elpepuint_11/Tes
and Smurf, I have a translator full time in Mx. An english prof at university level, certified to translate educational manuals. If you get in a crunch send me an email and I will check her work load.
Obama's Queen Imperialist was able to stop off in Mexico, Tunisia, and Yemen these last 2 weeks or so. She's a regular swirl of 'advice' at any given time, she is she is! And that's why we all love her so these days!
ReplyDeleteShe always just drips real honey, too. See that lovely US lady in front of the Mexican flag. That's our Hillary!
I love how many are now into Hillary wearing that big sex toy as she penetrates Mexico with the US Made 'drug war'. She's one 'tough liberal' as Buela called her. Whoopee, Buela thinks... since that means she'll screw somebody/ some country up for damn good!
La Hilaria Clinton no vale verga!
ReplyDeleteGallina Desperada..
ReplyDeleteIt is my day to not be able to communicate perfectly. Let me say this, if I was given a choice, and the only choice being between Obama VS Hillary, I choose Hillary. and she is a tough liberal, for a liberal, which I am not. However, I am not an extremist, as the far right, or far left. I ignore the dribble from those folks because they go through life seeing all black all white, they make little sense, and have blinders on.
Just as I say to the lefties on the extreme I say to those perched on the edge of the right, you are wrong because you are not fair minded and your prejudice against "the other side" compromises your ability to be open minded and consider all the facts.
That said, why do you care what I say? If you don't like what I say, when you see the Buela...keep on going, skip the text. Take a chill pill, life is short learn to have manners.
My dos centavos
I also like hillary clinton. She cares and that's a good start. I dont vote but i was rooting for her to win for president. I agreed more with her proposals than obama's. It's a shame that her lack of personality and possibly her sex played an issue in her very close loss. She took on the health care system too but its a shame that she eventually gave in. This lady is one tough politician. She would have made a better president than obama. But this poor woman got stereo-typed and was overpowered by a male dominated industry. Bubba also tried to help his wife but probably made it worse for her by making a comment that the slimeball republicans slandered. Im dissapointed that obama didn't make her our vice president.
ReplyDeleteSoy sola una gallina desplumada y no una gallina 'dura' como Hillary, pero me parece mas importante que su sexy personalidad es el partido corrrupto que ella representa. Bien feo ese>>>
ReplyDeleteEntiendo porque Ajulio y Buela llegaron a estar enamarodos de ella! Si Hillary no fuera de tal alta clase ella probablemente hubiera tenido empleo de ser una mesera coqueteando con policias.
Maybe she should stick to having talks about having talks? Like in the Middle East "peace" negotiations? All worthless BS.
ReplyDeleteNO MEXICAN TRUCKS SHOULD BE ALLOWED ENTRY INTO THE US!! We can't find all the drugs in our own trucks, cars, SUV's etc. that are coming across the border. This would be insanity!
ReplyDeleteHere, cartels, we give you free licence to our freeways! Can you imagine how little checkpoints like Falfuras will handle this one??? And to think in TX we're trying to build an international highway that goes all the way to Canada!
How do you think that'll work out??
Layla2
ReplyDeleteI don't think the solution is to stop all international trade via interstate commerce with Mexico, I mean... how else are you going to pay $1.50 per lbs tomatoes without the low cost of Mexican veggie/fruit pickers and drivers?
If that's the option the U.S. gov decides to take, fine.
Just get ready for sticker shock at the grocery store.
And not just that, think of all the other goods from other countries that make their way through Juarez, TJ and other border cities. Prices would skyrocket across the board.
Not to mention the other diplomatic and political fallout between our two countries...
Just not a good way to go about things IMO.
Gallina..
ReplyDeleteHonestly, if you studied Hillary's life you would be impressed. I agree with Ajulio that she is her worse enemy at times, the way she communicates isn't always pretty. But she is very intelligent, educated, and does not allow anyone. including her cheating husband to create an opinion for her. That is what I like.
Now you, on the other hand, sound ridiculous saying that without her high class she would be a waitress flirting with men...WTH? So if one is educated one must be high class in order to be successful? Whoa! You cannot be a uS citizen and say that. Nothing is further from the truth, I hope you do not have children or if so you are "high class" because if you preach that garbage to your children; they will think they should not try to succeed because it is written in stone they will fail.
Hillary Clintons visit to Mexico should serve as a warning to those traitor common criminal cartels that the shit is really fixing to hit the fan for them.
ReplyDeleteThe wrath of the Mexican and the American Goverments will soon be upom them like hell on the surface of the earth .
The smugglers game is going to change forever.
Mexican drugs will still get in but its going to be more like getting drugs into prisons...tight, tight security..
The very institutions that these assholes challanged will now destroy them or least break thier legs into a crippled mulch...
Props to Hillary for acknowledging what's going on,but unless they're gonna do something its a waste of time.bottom line is money talks,bullshit walks..its funny how all the minute men are so hardcore when its their weapons that end up in Mexico.
ReplyDeleteWikileaks what a revalation "the US doubts Mexico can deal effectivly with the criminal element" such news? Its amazing that journalist continue to write about how Mexico is loosing the reform war,out of the 30,000+ dead the majority has been criminals killing criminals, then govt killing criminals ,remainder sadly collateral damage, except for the collateral deaths sounds like progress.
ReplyDeleteAnd all those in the BB Hillary Clinton Fan Club assure us all that the 'toughness' of this Democratic Party glibberal and these policies of constant US firepower have already won the US drug war in other areas of Latin America, don't they? That's why the US government just has to, just has to enter into 'helping out' Mexico, too, they preach.
ReplyDeleteIt's kind of like listening to a bunch of cops shouting out to send in the Special Units SWAT team... that always get's 'em. Cop readers... cop approach. Of course, these are US cop types wanting to go into a foreign country to do 'the job' themselves. They're just so gung ho!
@ DFL
ReplyDeleteI hope you are right. Makes sense to me. Great comment.
Funny, while this thread is all about Hillary pushing for more US interventionism inside another country, and the previous thread was about events in Juarez, just across the river in El Paso there is a trial going on about US interventionism in another country where the US backed, and still backs, a terrorist.... a man named Luis Posada Carriles.
ReplyDelete'A 2006 statement from the US Department of Justice states: "Luis Posada-Carriles is an admitted mastermind of terrorist plots and attacks ... a flight risk … [and] a danger to the community."'
See article 'CIA-trained 'terrorist' in US court'
http://english.aljazeera.net/indepth/features/2011/01/2011112104142751917.html
Yes, he's in court, but only for violating US immigration law, and not for the terrorist acts he committed with US government backing.
SO Calderon had a secret meeting with US...in switzerand
ReplyDeletehttp://www.stratfor.com/sitrep/20110127-us-mexico-clinton-calderon-meet-switzerland