April 12, 2009 12:08 PM

Mex. Official: U.S. Needs To Work With Us

By
Michelle Levi
Topics
In The News
(CBS)
Mexican President Felipe Calder?n will tell President Obama during his trip to Mexico next week that U.S. assistance is needed to halt the flow of weapons into America's neighbor, Mexico's Ambassador to the United States, Arturo Sarukhan, told CBS News' Bob Schieffer.

"As most things in life, you need two to tango," Saruhkan said on Face The Nation Sunday. "As Mexico shuts down the flow of drugs into Mexico from South America [on their way to the U.S.], we need the support of the United States to slow down weapons and bulk cash."

The ambassador said it appears that President Obama and his administration are "seized" by the importance of the war against drug cartels being waged along the U.S.-Mexico border, as proven by the recent visits to Mexico by Secretary of State Clinton, Homeland Security Secretary Napolitano and Attorney General Holder.

"I think they've started to push the ball in the right direction," Saruhkan said of Washington. "The key issue right now is how can the United States help to shut down those guns and shut down that bulk cash that is providing the drug syndicates in Mexico with the wherewithal to corrupt, bribe, to kill."

Schieffer asked if the placement of U.S. National Guard troops along the border would help the situation.

Sarukhan said that the Obama administration's move to "ratchet up" ATF and ICE agents in the border region may be more effective than National Guard troops, "because these two agencies are charged with interdicting the assault weapons and bulk cash." He added that they "should play more of a role" along the border.


More from Face The Nation (4.12.09):
  • Ambassador: 90% Of Cartel's Guns Are From U.S.
  • Schieffer Commentary: Having Faith In The Power Of Love
  • Read The Complete Transcript> (pdf)


    To watch Mexican Ambassador Arturo Sarukhan discuss the violent drug war raging on the U.S.-Mexico border, click on the video player below.



    To watch a roundtable discussion of America's international role with the Washington Post's Rajiv Chandrasekaran, David Sanger of The New York Times and Syndicated Columnist Kathleen Parker, click on the video player below.


    • Add a Comment See all 26 Comments
    by jodyrae4 May 17, 2009 6:26 AM EDT
    Mexico needs to fix their country and come get their people..The families that leave there for a better life, I understand (If it is done legally)
    Problem is..illegals come over here and get on welfare and have 15 kids..won't learn english and blame America for everything! ..Won't take responibility for their own actions..always blame someone else
    Reply to this comment
    by maryphillips April 17, 2009 3:36 PM EDT
    Why are our elected representatives so pre-occupied with assisting foreigners?

    Americans have repeatedly voiced their outrage at our Congress addressing the issue of legalizing those here illegally. Do not ignore the wishes of your constituents.

    I agree whole-heartedly with our government ridding America of illegals
    that show no respect for my country and its laws. These people only believe
    in themselves and show nothing but contempt for us.


    Now, Nancy Pelosi and Hillary Clinton have made fools of Americans with their outrageous and ignorant statements and Mexico will receive aid from us for situation that is of their own making. Do they plan to reimburse the American taxpayer for all is cost us to apprehend, detain and deport their citizens? Will Europeans, who are also targets of Mexican and South Americans drug cartels, agree to donate money to those governments? I sincerely doubt it.

    I have witnessed average Americans applying for assistance from government agencies and was shocked and angered at the contempt that was directed at those seeking help. People were harassed and insulted, spoken to as if they were garbage. This attitude is apparently the norm. The thinking is that, from what I guess, is that the poor and needy are indeed garbage and deserve a contemptuous attitude. I read a newspaper article concerning a woman dying of cancer who requested assistance since she could no longer work, after she had died asking for help, the doctor received more forms to fill out. A neighbor of mine is handicapped and in a wheelchair and was originally denied social security and now the agency is attempting to cut his benefits. When my father was critically injured in a fire at the chemical plant where he worked, he was also denied benefits originally. There are people in this country who are permanently disabled yet are expected to live on less than $600.00 a month. All this while the US Congress contributes billions abroad.
    Reply to this comment
    by WorldNomad1 April 13, 2009 1:25 PM EDT
    I laughed out loud reading the latest slander from a Mexican government official against the American people on Face The Nation. The only thing more outrageous than the ambassador's lies was the kid glove handling of his preposterous statements by Bob Schieffer.

    90% of all weapons from the US? Give me a break. Where's the proof Mr. Ambassador? Don't have any? No surprise there. Even if it were true...so what? As every Mexican knows full well, the reason for the violence from the criminal syndicates and their power and influence in Mexico HAS NOTHING to do with the Americans.

    The cause of all this turmoil is the fact most of the elected politicians in Mexico and most of the law enforcement sectors have been bought and paid for, especially at the state and local levels, by the criminals for decades. But hey.....why accept responsibility for the problems in your country when you can play the most popular game in Mexico called BLAME THE GRINGOS!!

    The Mexicans have been playing and perfecting this game now since the war between the two countries back in the 1840s....and as we can see they have become pretty good at it. They have convinced the American media (except for CNN's Lou Dobbs) and the Obama administration of it. Let's hope the American people are not quite so gullible.
    Reply to this comment
    by beach671 April 13, 2009 7:44 AM EDT
    Mine the Border with Mexico. Create a DMZ like we have separating the Korea's.

    Shoot anyone that crosses.

    No....the pansie Demoncrats are trying to push for gun control on Americans instead. Meanwhile they are allowing people to break into the United States, rape women as they are being smuggled into the US and tied to the raping trees in the desert along the border, the Mexican military supporting the drugs and illegals coming into the US and the Mexican Military operating on the US side of the border....going into Americans homes and assaulting them...which is an act of War.......the Demoncrats will ignore all of this so they can keep a steady supply of Coke coming in for their kids to snort.
    Reply to this comment
    by globalcoolin April 13, 2009 7:28 AM EDT
    Once the Clintons tell a lie ( like 90%) they wont change the info in light of new information.
    They keep repeating it, on on and on.
    People pleasers. And so out of touch! Trying to please a small Washington "group". The gun control lobby. Notoriouse for launching lie torpedos,and submerging befor it's discovered they lied.
    Reply to this comment
    by formrusmcsgt April 13, 2009 6:30 AM EDT
    As long as recreational drugs are contraband, there will be those who push it down the pipe for enormous gain.

    From the cartel leaders to the guy on the corner, big profits will keep the network staffed and operating.
    Reply to this comment
    by caligula1--2008 April 13, 2009 4:11 AM EDT
    Yo, Mexico. . . if you're so worried about the problem why don't you start tightening up border security on YOUR side as well, you do not, afterall, spend even 10% of what we do on security, inspections, and smuggling interdiction. If you're going to talk the talk, you've got to walk the walk. Here it is you FINALLY made an effort against the drug cartels you ignored for years under the previous government (yours, not ours), and you're surprised that it takes alittle effort, even with the dubious tactics even by the standards of your own legal system which you're employing. So what, you can't hope to duplicate in a year what the US has been doing for the last 3 decades.

    You're coming late to the table and complaining because the food is cold.
    Reply to this comment
    by alhart4cnet April 12, 2009 9:46 PM EDT
    The statistics here are bogus, see Massad Ayoob's blog: http://backwoodshome.com/blogs/MassadAyoob/2009/04/03/how-the-current-administration-figures-its-figures/
    Reply to this comment
    by eyland April 12, 2009 8:28 PM EDT
    90% HUH WELL THE LAST TIME I CHECKED FULLY AUTO MACHINE GUNS HAVE NOT BEEN SOLD TO PRIVATE CITIZENS IN THE US SINSE 1934 ( SEE THE GUN CONTROL ACT OF 1934) SO I FIGURE THOSE GUNS ARE COMING FROM ANOTHER SOURCE AND THAT SOURCE IS NOT HERE!!!

    AND SINCE THE OBAMA ADMINISTRATION LIKES TO PUSH TRANSPARENCY THEN I WOULD LIKE TO SEE THE BATFE TO SHOW US!! THE AMERICAN PEOPLE THE REAL NUMBERS OF THE TRACINGS OF THE FIREARMS SIEZED IN MEXICO ; THAT IS IF THE MEXICAN GOV'T HAS GIVIN THEM BACK TO THEM
    Reply to this comment
    by janefondu April 12, 2009 8:21 PM EDT
    Get a clue Mr.PreZ that myth of the 90% US guns was debunked more than a week ago. Move on now your just showing how far out of the loop you are. DUH!!
    Reply to this comment
    See all 26 Comments
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