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US President Barack Obama and his Mexican counterpart Felipe Calderón Thursday have sworn to renew their countries' joint fight against the drug cartels. They also resolved a decades-old trucking dispute. It was the fifth meeting in two years between the two men, with Obama stressing the "strong bonds" between the neighbors and pledging to clamp down on the trafficking of drugs and weapons across the border. "President Calderón and the Mexican people have shown extraordinary courage in the fight for their country," Obama told a joint press conference after White House talks, referring to the four-year offensive against Mexico's drug cartels. "Tens of thousands of Mexicans, innocent citizens and dedicated security forces, have lost their lives. I have reaffirmed to President Calderón that in this cause, Mexico has a full partner with the United States." More than 34,600 people have been killed in drug-related violence since December 2006, when Calderón started a mass army and police offensive against the powerful crime gangs. Obama also announced the two leaders had reached an agreement on a longstanding cross-border trucking dispute. "After nearly 20 years, we finally have found a clear path to resolving the dispute over trucking between our two countries," Obama told reporters. As part of the 1994 North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), the US agreed to let Mexican haulers deliver goods across the border. However, the issue has been the subject of fierce political wrangling, with US truckers arguing it would cost jobs in southwestern states. Importers, meanwhile, argued the deal would throw open opportunities for new cross-border business. The free-trade partners share a 3,200-kilometer border along with major economic and demographic ties. Mexico is now the largest source of immigrants to the US. The deal, which triggered swift anger from truckers who argue it will hurt small businesses, must now be sent to Congress. Calderón thanked the Obama administration for its efforts in the drug war, saying that more weapons traffickers and drug runners had been caught than ever before. Security was also a hot topic: the roadside shooting death of US customs agent Jaime Zapata on February 15, the first killing of a US federal agent on Mexican soil in 26 years, has raised the stakes in Mexico's increasingly violent drug war. AFP |
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