Matamoros chamber alerts to violence in U.S.

August 24, 2011 9:33 PM
BY EMMA PEREZ-TREVIÑO The Brownsville Herald

The Matamoros Chamber of Commerce has issued an alert warning people of possible risks involved in traveling to U.S. border cities.

The advisory, in response to continuing alerts from the U.S. State Department about dangers of travel in Mexico caused by fighting among drug cartels, says that travelers should beware of violence.

Raul Quintanilla, chamber vice president for foreign commerce, voiced the warning in an article published in a Matamoros newspaper, and the alert was restated Wednesday by Christian Perez on behalf of Chamber President Roberto Salas.

Media reports from Matamoros over the past year indicate that there has been friction between some members of the business group and Michael Barkin, consul general of the U.S. in Matamoros. Several issues have been mentioned, from apparent personality conflicts to the treatment of Mexican citizens by consular staff.

The chamber’s vice president for international affairs, Gerardo Acevedo Danache, on Wednesday called for dialogue among all the parties based on mutual respect.

“The issue of security has been taken out of context and I believe that we should have dialogue and focus on commerce and tourism,â€