United States to extend military support to Mexico

March 24th, 2010 - 4:46 am ICT by BNO News  

MEXICO CITY, MEXICO (BNO NEWS) – Top U.S. defense officials met on Tuesday with their Mexican counterparts as part of the Merida Initiative meeting in Mexico City to strengthen the military partnership in the fight against drug cartels.

Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates and chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Navy Adm. Mike Mullen were part of the U.S. Delegation met with Mexico’s Defense Secretary Guillermo Galvan Galvan and Navy Secretary Mariano Francisco Saynez Mendoza to discuss military-to-military coordination and to develop a comprehensive approach to counternarcotics operations and planning.

The meeting focused on sharing bilateral information, joint defense cooperation and the need for transparency and accountability on human rights. The talks come at a time when the war on drugs in Mexico is at a critical point.

Since 2006, some 18,000 people, including security personnel, have lost their lives to drug-related violence.

Defense Secretary Gates and Adm. Mullen are set to return to Washington, D.C., tonight.

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