cannabisnews.com: Joining Hands Against Pressure from Washington!





Joining Hands Against Pressure from Washington!
Posted by FoM on December 10, 1998 at 08:45:59 PT
Columbia & Mexico Just Say No!
 Colombia and Mexico, Two major drug trafficking centers and, with Peru, the only countries in the region with active insurgent groups, have joined forces in their anti-drug efforts and taken a united stance against pressure from Washington. 
The two countries are partners with Venezuela in the Group of Three (G-3), a free trade accord in effect since 1995. Their diplomatic relations were further strengthened by this week's visit by President Andres Pastrana -- the first visit by a Colombian president to Mexico in eight years. Pastrana met with business representatives today -- the second and last day of his visit -- and suggested that the G-3 be expanded to include Bolivia, Ecuador and Peru, which are associates with Colombia and Venezuela in the Andean Community trade bloc. He also urged the Mexican business community to step up trade with Colombia, which he said was on its way toward achieving peace. The president's visit to Mexico coincided with the formal start of Washington's annual certification process, marked by the release of a list of 29 countries, which according to the U.S. government have the worst drug problems. In March, the Clinton administration will announce which nations have been certified or decertified as allies in the war on drugs. Colombia, which has been decertified several times in the past, and Mexico, which so far has received a "passing" grade, are once more on the list. U.S. cooperation and financial assistance depend on a passing grade. "We know that no nation, no matter how powerful, is exempt from this threat. And just like you, we are convinced that it must be fought -- but not with recriminations, discrediting or intimidation," Zedillo said in his welcome speech to Pastrana. To eliminate the drug mafias, countries "must carry out their own tasks, and seek a global and balanced strategy," rather than accusing third parties, Zedillo added, in a thinly veiled reference to the U.S. certification process. Pastrana and Zedillo signed an agreement on sharing information about the activities of drug traffickers in Colombia and Mexico. The umpteenth anti-drug pact signed by the two countries in the past few years, the latest accord is crucial for effectively cracking down on drug trafficking, said members of the two delegations. Mexico is the main springboard for drugs into the United States, and the biggest money launderer of drug money in Latin America, according to Washington and the United Nations. Colombia, meanwhile, is considered one of the world's top coca producers. The drug cartels of the Andean country have close links to those of Mexico, according to a number of studies. Members of the Colombian delegation to Mexico said Washington's certification or decertification did not fix anything, and that increased cooperation was needed instead. The United States, the world's top consumer of drugs, has no authority to judge the efforts of other countries, charged Manuel Quijano, a Mexican member of the U.N. Drug Control Program. According to reports released by the White House, the United States spends $57 billion a year on drugs. U.S., Colombian and Mexican drug enforcement authorities have agreed at several meetings to create "a triangle against drug trafficking." But mutual recriminations have stood in the way of any attempts at forging a closer anti-drug alliance. Three guerrilla groups exercise control over a significant portion of Colombian territory, while a budding peace process to put an end to decades of civil war has been frequently interrupted by violent clashes between insurgents, army troops and paramilitary units. Pastrana offered to assist in Mexico's peace process in September, but the Zedillo administration has opted against accepting any outside participation. The Mexican government, nevertheless, directly supports Colombia's incipient peace process. ..ETX This just isn't working! We need to re-think this whole process before more people die in this violent, hateful war!
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Comment #2 posted by Nicholas Miller on August 23, 2000 at 03:53:59 PT:
Governmental corruption
How high up does the corruption go in Columbia and Mexico?Is there any connection between the fact that the main drug trafficking countries are all seemingly spanish speaking?
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Comment #1 posted by Courtnie Robinson on January 07, 1999 at 13:49:50 PT:
Legalize it
I would like to know if you think marijuana will be legal sometime in the year 2000. (Statistics?? How close are we to having it legal??)
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