Reported in Dallas Morning on Oct 18thExcerpts below from Dallas Morning article
The U.S. and Mexican governments are expected Monday to announce an anti-drug package that will probably involve hiring private U.S. military contractors to train Mexican troops on the use of new technologies and equipment, senior U.S. officials said.
The plan calls for increasing U.S. anti-drug aid to Mexico, now estimated at $44 million a year, to $1.4 billion over two to three years, said officials speaking on the condition of anonymity. The issue of using private contractors in Mexico, a fiercely nationalistic country, is likely to generate controversy.
The chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, Rep. Silvestre Reyes, D-El Paso, expressed concern about the possible use of U.S. private contractors in Mexico. He said the issue has been among the most sensitive areas of negotiations for both governments. "I've heard that expressed as a concern on the part of Mexican officials, and it also raises an issue of concern for us because of how contractors are being used in Iraq," he said. "That will not be helpful in getting this through Congress." The senior U.S. official downplayed the use of private contractors, saying that "their role is limited to training only" for the highly technical and military equipment that is part of the package. Link article: http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/world/mexico/stories/102007dnintplanmexico.31cb082.html
The Economist reported that US officials stated private contractors or US military would NOT be involved in this Mexico iniatative. Below from Economist.
Full details of the Merida Initiative (after the city where the Mexican and US presidents first discussed it in March) have not yet been released, though US officials say it will not include any use of US military personnel on Mexican soil—which neither Mexico’s government nor its public would accept. This contrasts with a similar initiative, Plan Colombia, which has been in place since 2000 (and has cost the US around US$4bn). US military advisors and private military contractors have had a role in the anti-drug and anti-insurgency battle in that country. (Bet you the private contractors are Greystone / Blackwater)
Nice to know:
Announced as Merida Initiative. AKA "Plan Mexico". Here is the link:
CFR (Council on Foreign Relations) 11/6/07 Latin American expert interview. She seems to believe the "Merida Initiative" is a go through Congress. Fun things from this article:
- Congress has complained that its members were left out of the negotiation process. JMCO - Congress does not get it - they have been canceled!
- Where is this appropriation request hidden (because we all know BushCo)? It is included in the supplementary funding bill mainly for Iraq, in which the Merida Initiative is included. It is $500 million as a part of a larger $50 billion package. So it’s tied in some ways to the state of the Iraq funding as well, which is of course an issue in its own right.
Where is this appropriation request hidden (because we all know BushCo)? It is a supplementary funding bill mainly for Iraq, in which the Merida Initiative is included. It is $500 million as a part of a larger $50 billion package. So it’s tied in some ways to the state of the Iraq funding as well, which is of course an issue in its own right.
Rep. Eliot Engel (D-NY) chairman of the House Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere
“While I look forward to reviewing the counter-narcotics plan for Mexico and Central America, Congress was not consulted as the plan was developed. This is not a good way to kick off such an important effort to fight the increase in narco-trafficking and violence in the region,” said Rep. Eliot Engel (D-NY) chairman of the House Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere, which held a hearing on the proposal Thursday. “I hope that the administration will be more forthcoming with members of Congress now that they have announced the plan,” he added tartly.
No comments:
Post a Comment