Thread: Mexico irritated as Congress trims Bush anti-drug plan

Saturday, May 24, 2008 - Page updated at 12:33 AM

Mexico irritated as Congress trims Bush anti-drug plan
By MARC LACEY

The New York Times

MEXICO CITY -- The U.S. Congress has scaled back President Bush's anti-drug plans for Mexico and put human-rights conditions on some of the aid, drawing fire from some Mexicans who accuse U.S. lawmakers of meddling in their country's internal affairs.

The Bush administration has pointed to a recent surge of violence as evidence of the need for the so-called Mérida Initiative, the spending deal struck last year by Bush and Mexico's president, Felipe Calderón. But Congress was left out of loop, resulting in hard feelings when Bush submitted the plan.

As part of a broader emergency appropriations bill that remains under discussion and could face a presidential veto, the Senate on Thursday approved $350 million to aid Mexico in what has become a pitched battle against drug trafficking. The Senate also would give $100 million to Central American countries that are in drug wars of their own, as well as to the Dominican Republic and Haiti.

Language in bill

Besides reducing the Bush administration's request, which would have sent $500 million to Mexico and $50 million to Central America, the Senate adopted language similar to that in a recently passed House bill that would hold up a quarter of the money until the State Department ruled that Mexico was meeting certain human-rights markers.

The House approved $400 million for Mexico, one of several differences that will be worked out in a House-Senate conference in coming weeks.

The Senate measure still represents a major increase in aid to Mexico in a single year, legislative aides said, reflecting bipartisan concern over the fact that an estimated 90 percent of cocaine entering the United States comes through Mexico.

Since Calderón launched his drug war in 2007, more than 200 law-enforcement officers have been killed, among them at least two dozen top commanders. The overall body count is estimated to be 1,300 people this year.

At issue is the performance of Mexico's army and the police, which have been accused by human-rights organizations of engaging in abuses as they chase down drug cartels.

"Human-rights abuses in the army are routinely investigated by the military itself, and that leads to impunity," said Tamara Taraciuk, Mexico researcher for Human Rights Watch. "The big issue is accountability."

To address that, the congressional plans ask the secretary of state to report on whether Mexico was barring testimony obtained through torture and trying soldiers accused of abuses in civilian courts, among other conditions.

The trims to the president's plan, and the strings attached by U.S. lawmakers, clearly irked some Mexicans.

Behind the scenes

The Mexican government was working to soften some of the legislative language, congressional aides said.

The newspaper La Jornada said in an editorial this week that it was "a grotesque and absurd pretension" that the U.S., which has human-rights issues of its own in its prison in Guantánamo Bay, should be scrutinizing Mexico's armed forces.

Bush's plan called for spending for military hardware, mostly helicopters, but also programs to root out corruption within law-enforcement agencies and increase the protection of witnesses. Congressional plans would scrutinize money directed to the army.

Copyright © 2008 The Seattle Times Company

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/p ... rug24.html

Related thread posted by SOSADFORUS:

Plan Mexico Passed..Merida Initiative

http://www.alipac.us/ftopict-116569-con ... exican+aid

To hell with Mexico and there black hole of Corruption .
There i said it . I feel better

I wouldn't give them a dime until they agree to recall all their invaders and agree to a reimbursement plan to pay back American taxpayers for the costs we've incurred over the last 20 years due to their illegal presence here.

I WOULD NOT GIVE THEM A DIME NO MATTER WHAT THEY AGREE TO. GIVE THEM BACK ALL THEIR CITIZENS AND DONT GIVE THEM ANY MONEY. AND ALL OF THOSE "DUAL CITIZENS"......TELL THEM TO MAKE A CHOICE. IF THEY DONT WANT TO GIVE UP THEIR MEXICAN CITIZENSHIP, THEN RECIND THEIR USA CITIZENSHIP AND SEND THEM BACK. RECIND ALL GREEN CARDS FOR MEXICANS.....SEND THEM HOME. MEXICO WANTS US OUT OF THEIR BUSINESS? OK....GIVE THEM WHAT THEY WANT.

[b]The trims to the president's plan, and the strings attached by U.S. lawmakers, clearly irked some Mexicans.

Behind the scenes

The Mexican government was working to soften some of the legislative language, congressional aides said.

This means the Mexican government knew of the language in the bill--HOW?????

Which congressional aides were quoted--WHO DO THEY WORK FOR? Which congressmen were informing the Mexico government the wording and contents of the bill?

SINCE WHEN IS A FOREIGN GOVERNMENT CONSULTED IN DRAFTING AND WRITING LEGISLATION IN THE U.S. CONGRESS?

"clearly irked some Mexicans"----knowing a foreign government is dictating legislative language in congress has me far beyond irked. Is this not TREASON?

[i]“No worse fate can befall a man than to be surrounded by traitor souls.â€

Since when is it mexcios business to interfere with the USA?
Thanks to the AMERICAN TAXPAYERS we get to give them, mexico 500 million dollars. Well, I agree that they should have to pay back every penny that these people have TAKEN from us. The government says yea to these people evry time they WANT and DEMAN something from the USA, and if we step out of line with anyone of their people here, you can bet your butt, they mexcio and its government will interfear with the USA, and find out why we are MISTREATMENT of their people. They DEMAND their people ARE RESPECTED, and they DEMAND we give them money and take care of them, or else, they will be here, asking questions.

Mexico is irritated??????

Oh please....

mexcio irrate? well maybe the AMERICAN people are fed up with all this BS I know I am, and Bush wants to give them 500 million dollars for what????

drawing fire from some Mexicans who accuse U.S. lawmakers of meddling in their country's internal affairs.

Are you kidding me???? Has there been any country more meddlesome in our affairs than Mexico???

As far as I'm concerned none of this money should be going there in the first place. It should be spent on building the fence, hiring more personnel and mechanisms to secure our border and deport illegal aliens!