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 News Around the Republic of Mexico | June 2007 
Mexico's Calderon Blames US for Drug War
 Deutsche Presse-Agentur
| | Mexican President Felipe Calderon (Susana Gonzalez/AFP) |
Mexican President Felipe Calderon has said the cause of the war his country is fighting with drug gangs is not in Mexico but in the US.
In an interview with Deutsche Presse-Agentur, Calderon demanded a clearer cooperation and a much more tangible commitment on the issue of drug traffic from Washington.
"Our problem is the demand for narcotics in the US market, which significantly affects Mexico," the Mexican president said.
Calderon stressed that no strategy from the Mexican government against drug cartels will be sufficient unless demand is reduced.
"It is evident that as long as there is a market, as long as there is drug consumption in the United States, this problem will persist in Mexico," he said.
According to media studies, a total of 1,046 murders in the first four and a half months of 2007 were blamed on organized crime and the drug trade, with running gun battles involving the death of police and hostages just last month.
Mexican security forces and criminal gangs are now in a de facto state of war, and Calderon has deployed more than 30,000 military troops to combat crime in several states since taking office.
According to the Mexican president, the criminal is no longer the classic drug trafficker who deals drugs in the United States but instead in Mexico, he controls kidnappings, gaming, night clubs, charges sums to other criminals, even charges sums to business people and local producers.
During his week-long trip to Europe starting late Sunday, Calderon is scheduled to meet Italian Justice Minister Clemente Mastella and several anti-mafia prosecutors. |
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