U.S., Mexico near deal on anti-drug aid

McALLEN — U.S. and Mexican negotiators will soon announce a major aid package that would send millions of dollars south of the border to combat drug violence, area lawmakers said Wednesday.

The multi-year plan, expected to put Mexico on par with other Latin American recipients of U.S. foreign aid, could provide money for judiciary training, anti-corruption efforts and economic assistance, said U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Laredo.

Cuellar has not directly participated in negotiations but has maintained contact with key players since making a similar proposal in January, he said.

“The president has now taken the lead to make sure we help Mexico fight that drug war,” he said.

“If we’re going to stop violence along the border, we’re going to have to target the drug cartels.”

Mexican President Felipe Calderón has made fighting drug trafficking organizations — such as the Matamoros-based Gulf Cartel — a hallmark of his government’s agenda.

Since taking office in December, he has sent thousands of troops and federal police to root out criminal activities in several Mexican states, including Tamaulipas and Nuevo León.

He has also complained that the United States has not done enough to address its own problems with drug consumption.

The White House, in turn, has praised Calderón for his willingness to take on Mexico’s entrenched cartels.

And some believe he may be Washington’s best ally in years in the so-called war on drugs.

“Calderón has a small window for action,” Cuellar said. “If we don’t take advantage of it now, we’ll lose it.”

DETAILS SCARCE

The White House could issue a final proposal on the aid package by the end of the month.

President Bush may make a formal announcement by Aug. 21, when he is scheduled to meet with Calderón in Canada, Cuellar said.

But officials on both sides of the border refused to talk about specifics of the aid package Wednesday, saying details of the plan could change in coming weeks.

A U.S. State Department spokesman confirmed the negotiations but said only that they began soon after Calderón’s inauguration last year.

“President Calderón has taken a brave and firm stance in fighting these drug cartels,” department spokesman Sean McCormack said. “We want to talk to him about how we can support that.”

Mexican officials could not be reached for comment Wednesday, but Cuellar stressed the importance of allaying the country’s historic fears of American meddling.

Chief among them is concern that the proposed funding would resemble the Clinton-era aid package Plan Colombia.

The controversial deal sent $5 million and the U.S. military to the Latin American country, but critics argue it did little to halt the country’s cocaine industry.

Some American soldiers, including McAllen High School graduate Daniel Rosas, were even convicted of smuggling hundreds of pounds of cocaine out of the country.

“We have to be sensitive to their concerns and their sovereignty,” Cuellar said. “But President Calderón clearly wants our help.”

STRENGTHENING LOCAL TIES

Local leaders expect the new foreign aid plan would augment already tight bonds between U.S. and Mexican authorities.

Mexico received $69 million in aid from the United States during the last fiscal year, according to the State Department. Countries such as Colombia and Peru received $561 million and $146 million, respectively.

Federal agencies such as the Drug Enforcement Administration currently operate several offices located in Mexico, including one in Monterrey and another in Mexico City.

And FBI agents often train Mexican police on the municipal, state and federal level, said the bureau’s local spokesman, Jorge Cisneros.

“Our training has nothing to do with drugs,” he said. “It’s more general police-type training.”

While some local law enforcement agencies criticized Cuellar’s $850 million aid proposal earlier this year, Hidalgo County Sheriff Lupe Treviño said the package could benefit South Texas.

“It’s going to alleviate some of the work of law enforcement along the border,” he said.

“If they capture a million pounds of dope down there, that’s a million pounds of dope we don’t have to deal with.”

Whatever aid package the White House proposes, the deal would have to go through Congress before becoming official, Cuellar said.

Since January, no action has been taken on his own aid bill, which proposed to send $175 million to Mexico in each of the next five years.

Now, Cuellar hopes he can play a role in shepherding the Bush proposal through the Legislature.

“Congress is ultimately going to come in and do the final package,” he said.

“He’s going to make the proposal, but the president is going to have to work with us to do this.”

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The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Jeremy Roebuck covers law enforcement and general assignments for The Monitor. You can reach him at (956) 683-4437.