Thursday, February 7, 2008

Mexico's Calderon to reduce army role in drug war


MEXICO CITY, Feb 6 (Reuters) - Mexican President Felipe Calderon said on Wednesday he wants to phase out the army's role in fighting drug traffickers as the country works to reform its notoriously corrupt police forces.


"We must clean up and strengthen the police forces across the country so that the participation of the army in the fight against crime will become less and less necessary," Calderon said at an event with Louise Arbour, the U.N. High Commissioner for Human rights.


Calderon has mobilized some 25,000 Mexican troops since taking office in December 2006 to try to crush powerful drug cartels that are warring over lucrative smuggling routes to the United States.


Arbour, who is in Mexico on a visit to review Mexico's human rights record, on Tuesday criticized Calderon's military campaign against drug traffickers as dangerous and warned that military forces should not be taking on civilian roles.


Click here for full story


Importance: In what seems completely unexpected and without reason, Calderon makes a bold move in order to progress in the war on drugs. His main reason for this is to decrease the corruption in the police force and the military. This will ultimately decrease the intervention of military into certain crimes.

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