| | |  Editorials | Issues | September 2008 
Mexico Congress Chief Demands More Anti-Drug Support From U.S.
 Adriana Lopez Caraveo & Jens Erik Gould - Bloomberg
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| | Cesar Duarte Jaquez | | |
The president of Mexico's lower house of Congress said the U.S. government hasn't done enough to help Mexico battle organized crime.
Cesar Duarte Jaquez, a member of the opposition Institutional Revolutionary Party, said in an interview that the U.S. hasn't made it a priority to help Mexico root out drug cartels even as violence escalates on the border between the countries. He added that the U.S. has the responsibility to do more to help because most narcotics consumers are Americans.
"We're heirs of a conflict mostly generated there," Duarte said, referring to the U.S. "Now we're suffering and it appears we're alone. We demand that those who have somewhat originated this conflict in the continent respond today with the capacity they have."
Mexico is plagued by violence related to drug trafficking that has claimed about 3,000 lives this year as cartels battle for territory and routes to the U.S. President George W. Bush signed a bill on June 30 setting aside $400 million in aid for Mexico for next year under a plan known as the Merida Initiative.
"The U.S. government is committed to and will implement, together with its Mexican and other international partners, the Merida Initiative," the U.S. Embassy in Mexico said in an e-mail response to Duarte's comments.
To contact the reporters on this story: Adriana Lopez Caraveo in Mexico City at adrianalopez(at)bloomberg.net; Jens Erik Gould in Mexico City at jgould9(at)bloomberg.net |
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