Ken Salazar Admits U.S. Is “Part Of The Problem” Of Drug Use And Arms Trafficking

 "Char" for Borderland Beat 

This information was posted from PROCESO 

Leaving behind the scolding tone of last November 13, to which the Mexican government responded through a diplomatic note, Salazar echoed the letter that President Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo sent to President-elect Donald Trump in response to his threat to impose tariffs.

WRITTEN BY: MATHIEU TOURLINE

MEXICO CITY (apro).- After the outspoken complaint regarding Mexico's security policy that he expressed two weeks ago, the U.S. ambassador to Mexico, Ken Salazar, acknowledged today that drug consumption and arms trafficking from his country are “part of the problem”, which is why the governments on both sides of the border must address it “as partners”.

Leaving behind the scolding tone of last November 13, to which the Mexican government responded through a diplomatic note, Salazar echoed the letter that President Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo sent to President-elect Donald Trump in response to his threat to impose tariffs when he takes office on January 20; the diplomat also qualified his criticism of the security strategy, stating that he said them “with great hope” that “the program that President Sheinbaum is developing” will work.

In a press conference held at the residence of the US Embassy, Salazar insisted on his agreement with the governments of Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo and her predecessor, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, on migration issues, and emphasized that his government --that of Joe Biden-- continues to be committed to North America as a free trade zone.

Salazar repeated that Joe Biden's administration is “aligned” with the plans to invest in development projects in the South and Southeast of Mexico -he explicitly referred to the Isthmus of Tehuantepec-, as well as in the regions of origin of migrants, to address the roots of migration, and celebrated that he worked “very closely” with López Obrador on migration issues.

The diplomat, who stated two weeks ago that the strategy of “hugs not bullets” had failed, boasted that thanks to the joint work of both governments, the number of irregular migrant crossings between both countries fell by 65% to 75%.

SOURCE: PROCESO