|
Mexico City, June 12, 2006 – Ambassador Garza delivered opening remarks to the International Conference on Drug and Crime Prevention, being held at the Melia Hotel in Mexico City. His speech urged U.S. and Mexican law enforcement agencies to continue to work together to take back their communities from narcotics traffickers and the criminals who thrive from their illegal activities. For your convenience, we have attached the text of the speech Ambassador Garza delivered to this important conference:
(begin text)
Good morning. Thank you Daniel (Cabeza de Vaca), Julio (Frenk), and Eduardo (Medina Mora)... distinguished members of the presidium. It is an honor for me to be here with you this morning at this historic International Conference on the Prevention of Crimes and Addictions. Genaro, it is a pleasure to see you as well.
One of the great success stories of the U.S.-Mexican bilateral relationship has been the increasingly strong cooperation between our law enforcement agencies. That cooperation has helped us to combat crime, not just in the border region, but throughout our two countries… And let’s be honest… much of the credit for this success should go to an extraordinary leader who is not here with us today… and that is President Vicente Fox.
We are all here today because of a simple and sad truth: Illegal drug use threatens all that is best about our two countries. It breaks the bonds between parents and children and destroys families. It turns productive citizens into addicts. It transforms schools into places of violence and chaos, and makes playgrounds into crime scenes. And too often it makes our city streets seem like war zones and our border region a place of great danger.
In both of our countries, domestic drug abuse is on the rise and the age at which our children first use drugs has dropped dramatically. One recent study here in Mexico found that the age at which children first use drugs is roughly ten years old. In the United States, according to recent data, the percentage of 18-year olds using illicit drugs has risen from less than 15 percent in 1992 to nearly 25 percent by the year 2000. Marijuana use amongst 13-year-olds in the United States has risen dramatically over the past decade, while the perception of the dangers of marijuana by these same children fell. And sadly, there have been similar decreases in the perception of risk involved with the use of drugs like LSD and crack cocaine.
Behind these numbers are countless personal tragedies. And we must not be indifferent to them. I have often said that illegal drug use is like salt water through machinery: first it runs right through, then it corrodes, and then it destroys … Illegal drugs rob men, women, and children of their dignity and they are the enemy of ambition and hope. When we fight against drugs, we fight for the souls of our fellow citizens.
This conference will not be one where fingers are pointed … but rather it is an important opportunity for us to do two things: first, to reflect on the successes we have had in reducing both the supply and the demand for illegal drugs and, second, to think about what more we can do now to fight the scourge of illegal drugs.
As many of you know, when it comes to reducing the supply of illegal drugs, we have achieved an unprecedented level of bilateral cooperation. The United States has supported the Mexican Government’s robust drug eradication efforts because we know that much of Mexico’s production is destined for the U.S. marketplace. Just last month, our U.S. Office of National Drug Control policy reported that Mexican law enforcement and military officials destroyed record amounts of marijuana and opium poppy crops here in Mexico.
Important progress has also been made in confiscating illegal drugs and in attacking drug trafficking organizations and cartel leadership. In fact, last week, the United States offered a reward of up to $5 million dollars for information leading to the capture of Jorge Eduardo Costilla Sanchez, who is the reputed head of the Gulf Cartel that smuggles tons of cocaine and marijuana into the United States each year. And with the help of both Mexicans and Americans, he will be brought to justice.
We have also done much to reduce the demand for illegal drugs here in Mexico and the United States. As part of an overall strategy to combat illicit narcotics consumption in Mexico, the U.S. Embassy provides funding to local government and non-government organizations involved in addict treatment and public awareness campaigns aimed at vulnerable population groups to educate them about the dangers of addiction.
We have provided funding to the Government of Mexico for its drug demand reduction projects through the Secretariat of Health’s National Council Against Addictions (CONADIC). We have provided grants to state-level drug addiction rehabilitation centers through the Centro de Integracion Juveniles and the Chavos Banda project which provides vocational training for street youth in Iztapalapa. And we have supported the El Caracol halfway house for juvenile offenders.
Today, CONADIC is coordinating nationwide prevention, treatment, and rehabilitation programs on the state and federal levels in Mexico. In the U.S., President Bush remains committed to our war on drugs . . . and through programs like those created under the “Drug-Free Communities Act,” the President has been a leader in the charge to empower local communities to treat drug addicts and reduce the demand for illegal drugs.
But much work remains to be done. Here at this conference, we must consider how we can do more to create and support programs that fight illegal drug use in our communities. And I know that dedicated professionals like yourselves are up to the challenge.
We know what works. We must aggressively and unabashedly teach our children about the dangers of drugs. We must aggressively treat addiction wherever we find it. And we must aggressively enforce our laws against the drugs lords at our borders and in our communities. And we cannot pick and choose between these goals. All are necessary if any are to be effective.
As we find better ways to fight illegal drugs, our two countries will become more hopeful places. We share an important commitment. For the sake of our children and for the good of our two nations, we must reduce drug use and take back our communities from the narco-traffickers who threaten our very way of life.
On behalf of the United States, I want to thank our Mexican partners for your efforts. Today, however, I offer not only our heartfelt thanks, but our continued commitment to meet the challenges that each of you face daily.
May god bless you all, and may god bless the United States and Mexico.
|
