| | |  Americas & Beyond 
US Report: Delay Merida Initiative Aid for Mexico
 Ramon Bracamontes - El Paso Times
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September 27, 2010
 |  | The overall Mérida Initiative agreement between the U.S. and Mexico states that up to 15 percent of the money scheduled to be given to Mexico to help it fight the drug cartels can be withheld if human rights complaints in Mexico are not being addressed. |  | | |
Although Mexico has improved in addressing human rights complaints, the U.S. Department of State is recommending that a portion of the Mérida Initiative money set aside to help Mexico in its war against the drug cartels be withheld until the country does more.
The State Department in a report to Congress two weeks ago recommended that 15 percent of the money scheduled to be released to help Mexico in the coming months be withheld. The amount to be withheld totals $26 million.
The same report also recommended that Congress release $36 million in Mérida funds that were previously withheld because of human rights concerns.
Overall, the report says Mexico's security forces are more cognizant of their human rights obligations.
"The Government of Mexico needs to do more, however, to address concerns when it comes to transparency and impunity, especially with respect to the investigation and prosecution of human rights crimes alleged to have been committed by its security forces," the report states.
The 36-page report was given to Hawaii Sen. Daniel Inouye, chairman of the Appropriations Committee. Certification reports such as this one are done before any Mérida money can be released by Congress.
The overall Mérida Initiative agreement between the U.S. and Mexico states that up to 15 percent of the money scheduled to be given to Mexico to help it fight the drug cartels can be withheld if human rights complaints in Mexico are not being addressed.
Mérida is a three-year program approved by the Bush administration that designates $1.6 billion to Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean. The majority of the money, $1.4 billion, is earmarked for Mexico and is doled out in phases. All of the money from 2009 was released.
Through Mérida, the U.S. helps Mexico train, select and evaluates its law enforcement, while also helping Mexico reform its judicial and prison systems and improve technology, infrastructure development and border security.
Under the agreement, the U.S. was scheduled to release $175 million in September to help Mexico. Only $149 million were released.
The remaining 15 percent was withheld until the State Department drafts another report on human rights issues in Mexico.
The Sept. 2 report states that Mexico must continue to improve its transparency and accountability of the police forces. For example, the report states that 16 soldiers and three officers stationed in Sinaloa were reportedly drunk and using drugs when they opened fire on a vehicle carrying children.
The soldiers reportedly killed a woman and a 3-year-old girl. The U.S. report states they will be tried in military court, not a civilian court.
The report cites other cases in which soldiers used excessive force, including firing at unarmed civilians and beating a suspect to death.
University of Texas at El Paso political science professor Howard Campbell said Mexico continues to do a terrible job of protecting its citizens' human rights, and those of immigrants in the country.
Campbell is an expert on Mexican drug cartels and Mexico's efforts to fight them.
"Nothing has really changed," he said. "Including caveats to the Mérida plan is a double-edged sword. On one hand, it is yet another example of American heavy-handedness vis-a-vis Mexico. On the other, if it results in improvements in the human rights situation that would be a good thing."
Last week, the Washington Office of Latin America and several Mexican human rights organizations sent a memo to Congress asking that Mérida money be withheld because Mexico is not meeting its human rights requirements.
The human rights organizations said Mexico is lax in prosecuting military abuses and torture.
"While the State Department's report lists several actions that the Mexican government has undertaken to address torture, these measures have failed to curb its systematic use to obtain confessions," the memo from the Washington Office of Latin America to Congress states.
The Washington Office of Latin America promotes human rights, democracy and social and economic justice in Latin America.
The U.S. report also provides an update of how Mexico is doing in its fight against the cartels.
It states that approximately 28,000 individuals have died since Mexican President Felipe Calderón launched a war against the cartels. As of mid-August in this year, 7,500 have been killed throughout Mexico in the ongoing cartel war. Of those, 475 were police officers and 39 were military troops.
"The number of narco-related homicides is outpacing all previous years, reflecting intensified competition among drug trafficking organizations for control of border crossings and internal markets," the report states.
Ramon Bracamontes may be reached at rbracamontes(at)elpasotimes.com
Merida Initiative numbers: In 2008, Congress approved the Merida Initiative, which allocates $1.4 billion to help Mexico in its fight against the cartels. So far, the money has helped Mexico:
• Assign 40,000 to 45,000 military troops dedicated to counter-drug activities.
• Train 8,968 Mexican officials.
• Acquire 318 polygraph units worth 2.4 million.
• Seize more than 90 tons of cocaine, as well as 6,500 tons of marijuana, more than 2 tons of methamphetamines, and more than 83,000 weapons.
Source: U.S. Department of State report.
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