US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice (L) arrives in Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco state, Mexico(Photo AFP)
Mexico Drug Crime Fight 'Unprecedented', Threat To US : Rice -- AFP
PUERTO VALLARTA, Mexico (AFP) — US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has said that Mexico has an up-hill battle in its fight against drug crime, which is also affecting the United States.
"Mexico faces unprecedented difficulties in terms of crime and the links between crime and drugs, and obviously that have -- given our long, shared border -- significant implications for the United States as well," Rice said to journalists on the way to Mexico, where she arrived late Wednesday for talks with her Mexican counterpart.
High on the agenda between Rice and Foreign Minister Patricia Espinosa is the Merida Initiative, a 400-million-dollar US anti-drug crime aid package signed into law in June by President George W. Bush.
Mexican officials, including President Felipe Calderon, have called for the rapid release of resources contained in the package -- mostly helicopters and surveillance airplanes.
"The money will start to flow because this is a national security priority for Mexico and it's a national security priority for the United States," Rice said. "We consider it to be an initiative for which there is urgency."
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My Comment: This money to fight the drug war is just a drop in the bucket.