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Secretary Clinton’s Travel to Canada March 29–30
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE Office of the Spokesman March 25, 2010 STATEMENT BY PHILIP J. CROWLEY, ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF STATE FOR PUBLIC AFFAIRS Secretary Clinton to Travel to Canada for G8 Foreign Ministers Meeting and Meeting of the Foreign Ministers of Arctic Coastal States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will travel to Ottawa and Gatineau, Canada, March 29-30, for the G8 Foreign Ministers meeting to prepare for the G8 Leaders Summit in Canada June 25-26. Prior to the Ministerial, she will attend a meeting of the Foreign Ministers of the five Arctic Coastal States. Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar will accompany Secretary Clinton to the Arctic Coastal States meeting.
25 March 2010
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Obama Seeks $2.8 Billion for Haiti
By Merle David Kellerhals Jr.Staff Writer Washington — President Obama has asked Congress for $2.8 billion in emergency funds for the recovery and reconstruction of Haiti after January’s catastrophic earthquake that killed more than 230,000 people and affected nearly 3 million Haitians. “This emergency funding for Haiti is a must,” Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman John Kerry said March 24. “It’s a non-negotiable measurement of how the United States responds to a humanitarian emergency.” A portion of the funds will be used to repay the U.S. Defense Department and U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) for funds they expended in providing emergency relief immediately after the earthquake struck. The request includes $1 billion in new funding for relief and reconstruction. Money for rebuilding homes, schools, farm and industrial facilities, and the electrical system, and to improve governance and the judicial system is included in the request. The initial crisis has passed, but international experts believe it will take more than a decade to rebuild the Caribbean island nation of approximately 9 million people, one of the poorest nations of the Western Hemisphere. “Even if humanitarian needs remain significant and require the ongoing attention of the humanitarian actors, in particular in terms of shelter and sanitation, our focus must now shift toward the recovery and rebuilding of Haiti,” said Walter Kälin, representative of the U.N. secretary-general on the human rights of internally displaced persons and co-director of the Brookings-Bern Project on Internal Displacement. “The internally displaced persons in Haiti must be provided with the means to rebuild their existence and to resume their life.” “The road toward durable solutions is long and arduous. The full commitment of the international community is needed to support and facilitate the tasks of the national and local authorities in Haiti, which have the primary responsibility to create conditions conducive to durable solutions,” Kälin said. A donors’ conference to mobilize international support for Haiti will be held at the United Nations March 31. Haitian officials have said it will likely take $11.5 billion in reconstruction assistance for the full recovery of Port-au-Prince and the surrounding areas stricken by the earthquake. “The government of Haiti faces enormous challenges,” the State Department said March 4 in announcing the conference to be held at U.N. headquarters in New York. “Meeting these challenges will require a sustained and substantial commitment from the international community, in support of the government and people of Haiti.” “At the donors’ conference, Haiti will present its vision of Haiti’s future and how international support can assist,” the announcement said. The ministerial-level conference is jointly sponsored by the United States and the United Nations in cooperation with the Haitian government, and also with the support of Brazil, Canada, the European Union, France and Spain. It is being called the International Donors’ Conference Towards a New Future for Haiti. “Donor countries, international organizations and other partners will have an opportunity to pledge resources, to coordinate support of Haiti’s long-term recovery, and to commit to a sustained effort to support Haiti,” the department announcement said. The Dominican Republic, which shares the island of Hispaniola with Haiti, hosted an international conference of high-level technical donors March 16–17 to evaluate the economic consequences of the earthquake. And on March 22, the Inter-American Development Bank (IADB) agreed to forgive $479 million of the country’s $1.2 billion in foreign debt. Former U.S. Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush, at the request of President Obama, are spearheading international efforts to raise funds for Haitian relief. They met with Haitian President René Préval on the grounds of the damaged National Palace in Port-au-Prince March 22 to help focus attention on the need for long-term reconstruction funding for Haiti. The nonprofit Clinton Bush Haiti Fund has raised $37 million for Haitian relief. Obama has personally donated $200,000 to the Haiti Fund from his Nobel Peace Prize award. The IADB said it would provide approximately $2 billion in new financing to Haiti over the next decade. The European Union said it would provide $1.36 billion for Haitian reconstruction in the coming years. And the Group of Seven nations — Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States — announced in early February that they would cancel Haiti’s bilateral debt. The World Bank’s board approved a $65 million project to support the recovery of Haiti’s critical infrastructure and the re-establishment of basic state functions. It is part of a $100 million emergency grant announced by the World Bank right after the earthquake. PRELIMINARY STUDY A preliminary study by IADB economists indicates that it could cost as much as $14 billion to rebuild Haiti’s homes, schools, roads and other structures damaged by the earthquake. “The study confirms that the Haitian earthquake is likely to be the most destructive natural disaster in modern times, when viewed in relation to the size of Haiti’s population and its economy,” the development bank said. A more detailed accounting of the cost of reconstruction, which is being conducted by the development bank, the World Bank and the U.N. Development Fund, will be completed in several months, the IADB said in releasing its preliminary report.
25 March 2010
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U.S. Acts to Combat Arms Trafficking in Western Hemisphere
U.S. Department of State Bureau of Public Affairs March 25, 2010 Fact Sheet U.S. Acts to Combat Illicit Trafficking in Arms in the Western Hemisphere “We’re acting boldly, we are acting swiftly, and we are acting in concert to combat threats that are endangering the safety and security of citizens across the Americas.” — President Barack Obama President Barack Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton are committed to combating threats to the citizens of the Americas. As narco-trafficking and associated crime and violence continue to rise throughout the region, the United States has implemented programs to strengthen partnerships with the states of the Western Hemisphere to combat illicit trafficking in arms. Training • In 2009, the United States, Canada, and the Organization of American States (OAS) hosted the Western Hemisphere’s first customs and law enforcement officials meeting in Vancouver to discuss practical approaches and best practices for combating illicit trafficking in firearms. • In 2009, the United States hosted a workshop in Belize on combating arms smuggling in Central America. The workshop aimed to increase states’ capacity to more effectively address the illicit manufacturing and trafficking of firearms and adopt an operational action plan among the seven Central American states. A South American workshop is expected to take place later in 2010. Tailored Assistance • The United States has offered technical assistance to all states in the hemisphere, outlining available U.S. small arms and light weapons-related assistance programs to combat illicit trafficking. Programs are being designed to address the specific needs of individual states. • As part of the Caribbean Basin Security Initiative, the United States is partnering with Caribbean states to develop programs that address requests for technical assistance to help tackle trafficking in firearms throughout the region. Marking and Tracing • The United States signed eTrace agreements with all seven Central American states and 14 of the 15 Caribbean states. eTrace is a web-based firearm trace request submission system that provides for the electronic exchange of criminal gun data in a secure environment. Expanding eTrace participation throughout the hemisphere is a priority for 2010, including the introduction of a Spanish version of the eTrace software. • The United States provided the OAS a $1 million grant to supply marking equipment to states in the region in order to increase hemispheric capability to trace firearms and identify illicit trafficking routes and suppliers. Stockpile Management • The United States has assessed and offered stockpile management and destruction assistance to a number of states in Latin America and the Caribbean. Through the destruction of aging and unsafe stockpiles, states are avoiding the potential disaster of an explosion, ensuring an increased level of safety for their citizens. Examples include the following: • As part of the Merida Initiative in Central America, the United States has provided a grant for $1.3 million to the OAS for a program that will offer stockpile management and destruction assistance to the seven Central American countries. • The United States has provided a $450,000 grant to the United Nations’ Regional Center for Peace, Disarmament, and Development in Latin America and the Caribbean to build up the capacity of several Caribbean governments in firearms stockpile management and destruction.
25 March 2010
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Energy and Climate Partnership of the Americas
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE Office of the Spokesman March 25, 2010 MEDIA NOTE Energy and Climate Partnership of the Americas Discussed at the World Urban Forum: Advancing Sustainable Urbanization This week at the World Urban Forum (WUF) in Rio de Janeiro, U.S. Under Secretary of State for Democracy and Global Affairs Maria Otero and U.S. Housing and Urban Development Deputy Secretary Ron Sims praised Brazil’s efforts, under the Energy and Climate Partnership of the Americas (ECPA), to promote sustainable urbanization across the Americas. On Friday, March 26, the Secretary of State's Special Representative for Intergovernmental Affairs, Reta Lewis, will deliver remarks at the closing ceremony. Brazil’s initiative promotes green buildings, energy efficient housing, sustainable transport, and greenhouse gas reductions from solid waste, particularly in low-income communities across the region. Efforts today to build sustainable low-income housing could help to lower our carbon footprint for decades to come. The initiative also includes participation from the Governments of Argentina, Belize, Bolivia, Colombia, Costa Rica, El Salvador, and Mexico. “The United States is delighted to be working so closely with Brazil and our other friends in the Americas to chart a more sustainable future for our continents and the world," said Deputy Secretary Sims. "We have much to learn from each other and in sharing the brightest ideas and cleanest technologies we can reduce our collective carbon footprint, while building more sustainable cities.” At the April 2009 Summit of the Americas in Trinidad and Tobago, U.S. President Barack Obama invited all governments in the Western Hemisphere to join the ECPA. ECPA is comprised of voluntary initiatives focused on energy efficiency, renewable energy, cleaner fossil fuels, infrastructure, and energy poverty. At the June 2009 Americas Energy and Climate Symposium in Peru, the Government of Brazil offered to lead an ECPA initiative, Building with Energy Efficiency and Sustainability, which focuses on urban development in low-income areas. U.S. support for Brazil’s initiative includes collaboration by the Department of State in developing a network of academics, funding policy dialogues with practitioners, launching technical and university exchanges, and developing best practices on urbanization so that all governments may benefit from each others’ experiences. Leaders will discuss this partnership and other ECPA initiatives when energy ministers from across the hemisphere meet April 15-16, 2010, in Washington, DC, at the Energy and Climate Ministerial of the Americas, hosted by U.S. Secretary of Energy Steven Chu and with participation by U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton.
25 March 2010
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State Department on Under Secretary Otero’s Trip to Brazil
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE Office of the Spokesman March 24, 2010 MEDIA NOTE Under Secretary María Otero to Lead U.S. State Department Delegation to the UN-HABITAT World Urban Forum in Brazil and to Participate in a Meeting of the U.S.–Brazil Common Agenda for the Environment Under Secretary of State for Democracy and Global Affairs María Otero will travel March 23–30 to Rio de Janeiro and Brasilia, Brazil. Under Secretary Otero will lead the U.S. Department of State’s delegation to the UN-HABITAT Fifth World Urban Forum in Rio de Janeiro. The Forum runs from March 22—26, and other State Department officials include Assistant Secretary of State for International Organization Affairs Esther Brimmer and the Special Representative for Global Intergovernmental Affairs Reta Jo Lewis. Following the World Urban Forum, Under Secretary Otero will participate in a meeting of the Common Agenda for the Environment to discuss a range of environmental policy issues. At the Forum, Under Secretary Otero will emphasize the importance of human security for all urban residents at a time when cities around the world are experiencing dramatic growth. She will highlight the connection of urbanization with prominent U.S. foreign policy initiatives including promotion of democracy and human rights, food security, global health, adaptation to climate change, and empowerment of women and girls. On March 25, Under Secretary Otero will lead a panel discussion on “Governance and Participation” and engage with live and online participants about “Civil Society in the City.” She will also speak at the “Building with Energy Efficiency and Sustainability” launch, a U.S.-Brazil initiative that seeks to further the urban development issues as part of the Energy Climate Partnership of the Americas. On March 26, Under Secretary Otero will visit the UNHCR Refugee Center of Caritas to meet with urban refugees. In the afternoon, she will deliver a policy speech regarding U.S.-Brazil cooperation on global issues at the Getulio Vargas Foundation. Following the World Urban Forum, Under Secretary Otero will travel to Brasilia for a meeting of the Common Agenda for the Environment, one of the bilateral dialogues between the U.S. and Brazil, and for other bilateral meetings. The Under Secretary will discuss a range of environmental policy issues including responding to climate change through the Energy and Climate Partnership of the Americas; conservation and sustainable management of forests; ozone-depleting chemicals; existing and new areas for technical cooperation, including protected areas, water, earth observations, and environmental law enforcement; an upcoming hemispheric sustainable development ministerial; and the international environmental conference to be held in Rio de Janeiro, 20 years after the 1992 Rio Summit. Further, Under Secretary Otero will meet with Deputy Foreign Minister Antonio Patriota and his senior staff to discuss social inclusion, advancement of women, human rights, and joint cooperation to assist Haiti and other developing countries. For more information on the World Urban Forum, please visit: www.state.gov/g/worldurbanforum/ MEDIA CONTACTS Rio de Janeiro: Heidi Arola, ArolaHR@state.gov, (55-21) 9505-9134 and Erik Holm-Olsen, Holm-OlsenE@state.gov, (55-21) 9947-0033 Brasilia: Orna Blum, BlumOT@state.gov, (55-61) 3312-7364
24 March 2010
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Drug Violence Shreds Communities, Clinton Says
By Merle David Kellerhals Jr.Staff Writer Washington — Drug cartel violence hurts communities on both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border, says Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton. “This violence shreds communities, it holds back economic development, and it undermines progress,” she said during a joint press conference with Mexican Foreign Secretary Patricia Espinosa. A team of U.S. Cabinet secretaries and senior advisers met with Mexican senior leaders for a full day of talks in Mexico City March 23. They launched an enhanced security strategy, under development for nearly a year, that is designed to help Mexico strengthen its law enforcement and judicial systems in the face of escalating drug-trafficking violence that has killed thousands and spread across the porous borders of both nations. “We know that the demand for drugs drives much of this illicit trade, that guns purchased in the United States … are used to facilitate violence here in Mexico,” Clinton told reporters. “And the United States must and is doing its part to help you and us meet those challenges.” President Obama has asked Congress for $5.6 billion in fiscal year 2011 for programs to reduce demand for illicit drugs in the United States. The enhanced strategy, designed to build on the Mérida Initiative, takes a different approach from the three-year-old plan begun by former President George W. Bush and Mexican President Felipe Calderón, Clinton said. “We are contributing hundreds of millions of dollars to train and equip Mexican law enforcement and strengthening Mexico’s judicial system and democratic institutions,” she added. The previous plan emphasized military assistance, but the new plan focuses on law enforcement and judicial institutions. The new plan targets four strategic areas: disrupting the capacity of criminal organizations, reforming and strengthening security and justice institutions, creating a 21st-century border that advances citizen safety and commerce, and building stronger and more resilient communities that can resist the lure of the drug-trafficking cartels. “We also agreed to launch key initiatives, including pilot programs to combat border violence in Tijuana-San Diego and Juarez-El Paso,” she said. The Mexican cities of Tijuana and Juarez, which border California and Texas, respectively, are the largest cities along the U.S.-Mexico border, and both have been affected by increasing drug-related violence. In addition, the United States and Mexico have enhanced their sharing of financial intelligence and coordination of law enforcement to detect and prevent financial crimes and dry up financing for drug cartels. Both Presidents Obama and Calderón, in advance of the talks, spoke March 22 by telephone to underscore their commitment to a stronger bilateral partnership. The actions announced by Clinton and Espinosa in Mexico City are the result of a process launched by Obama and Calderón during a meeting in August 2009. After being elected president but before taking office, Obama met with Calderón in Washington in January 2009. Clinton then met with Espinosa in September 2009 at the United Nations to set forth the new strategic framework, she said. Accompanying Clinton on the trip to Mexico City were Defense Secretary Robert Gates; Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano; Director of National Intelligence Dennis Blair; John Brennan, a presidential adviser for homeland security and counterterrorism; Admiral Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; and other senior U.S. advisers from Homeland Security, the Justice Department and the Treasury Department. The meeting comes just weeks after one American employee of the U.S. Consulate in Ciudad Juarez was killed along with her husband, and the husband of a Mexican employee was also killed as they were returning home from a children’s social event. Several of the children traveling with them were wounded in the attack on their vehicles. “The grim truth is that these murders are part of a much larger cycle of violence and crime that has impacted communities on both sides of the border, taking an especially grievous toll on families here in Mexico,” Clinton said. “The narcotics cartels are waging war on civil society.” But Clinton added that while security is of paramount importance to the new strategy, it is not its only component. She said the United States and Mexico must also work on education and health care to help combat the long-term effects of drug cartels. First lady Michelle Obama is traveling to Mexico in April to discuss educational programs with Mexican officials. In addition, the United States and Mexico are studying how to use extraditions more effectively as they cooperate on prosecutions of drug criminals in Mexico.
24 March 2010
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President Obama on Human Rights Situation in Cuba
THE WHITE HOUSE Office of the Press Secretary March 24, 2010 Statement by the President on the Human Rights Situation in Cuba Recent events in Cuba, including the tragic death of Orlando Zapata Tamayo, the repression visited upon Las Damas de Blanco, and the intensified harassment of those who dare to give voice to the desires of their fellow Cubans, are deeply disturbing. These events underscore that instead of embracing an opportunity to enter a new era, Cuban authorities continue to respond to the aspirations of the Cuban people with a clenched fist. Today, I join my voice with brave individuals across Cuba and a growing chorus around the world in calling for an end to the repression, for the immediate, unconditional release of all political prisoners in Cuba, and for respect for the basic rights of the Cuban people. During the course of the past year, I have taken steps to reach out to the Cuban people and to signal my desire to seek a new era in relations between the governments of the United States and Cuba. I remain committed to supporting the simple desire of the Cuban people to freely determine their future and to enjoy the rights and freedoms that define the Americas, and that should be universal to all human beings.
24 March 2010
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United States-Mexico Partnership: A New Border Vision
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE Office of the Spokesman March 23, 2010 FACT SHEET United States-Mexico Partnership: A New Border Vision Mexico and the United States have a shared interest in creating a 21st century border that promotes the security and prosperity of both countries. The U.S. and Mexican governments have launched a range of initiatives that challenge the traditional view of “hold the line” and are developing a framework for a new vision of 21st century border management. The new framework is based on the principles of joint border management, co-responsibility for cross-border crime, and shared commitment to the efficient flow of legal commerce and travel: • Enhancing Public Safety – The protection of Mexican and U.S. citizens from the criminal organizations responsible for the traffic in people, drugs, arms, and money across our common land border is a key priority for both countries. In addition to the bilateral Merida Initiative programs currently underway, we must develop joint strategies for key smuggling and trafficking corridors along with regular sharing of information on investigations, prosecutions, and screening practices. • Securing Flows – The central challenge in managing flows of people and goods is to separate high-risk travelers and cargo from low-risk ones. Tools that help prevent illegitimate trade and travel while expediting legitimate trade and travel include implementing complementary risk management strategies in both countries, establishing a bi-national “model port” to share information on goods and people, and improving trusted traveler and shipper programs. We must work together with the private sector to ensure that we achieve these goals. • Expediting Legitimate Commerce and Travel – Each day, about a billion dollars of commerce and a million people cross the U.S.-Mexico border. Affirmative steps that accelerate the flow of people and goods through ports of entry enhance both countries’ economic competitiveness. Both countries need work with the private sector to encourage investment in the people, technology, and infrastructure that comprise a 21st century border. Secure transit lanes for pre-cleared rail and truck shipments as well as passenger pre-clearance programs are two tools that could make cross border trade and travel more efficient. • Engaging Border Communities – Mexico is the number one or number two export destination of twenty-two U.S. states. Cross-border trade contributes enormously to the economic vitality of both countries, especially in the border region. Continuing to engage border communities, as well as state, local, and tribal governments in bi-national strategy development, law enforcement, and communications, is essential to collaborative border management. • Setting Policy – Achieving rapid policy change requires an agile inter-agency process within each country as well as a means by which both governments can easily coordinate at a bi-national level. Both countries need to reinvigorate their policy-setting architecture to address the statutory, regulatory, systems, and infrastructure changes needed to realize our new vision of collaborative border management.
23 March 2010
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U.S.-Mexico Security Partnership: Progress and Impact
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE Office of the Spokesman March 23, 2010 FACT SHEET United States-Mexico Security Partnership: Progress and Impact The Mérida Initiative is an unprecedented partnership between the United States and Mexico to fight organized crime and associated violence while furthering respect for human rights and the rule of law. Based on principles of shared responsibility, mutual trust, and respect for sovereign independence, our efforts have built confidence that is transforming our bilateral relationship. Mérida was conceived in 2007 as a multi-year, $1.4 billion effort. The U.S. Congress has appropriated $1.3 billion since the program’s inception in FY 2008. The U.S. and Mexican governments have built on the foundations of the Mérida Initiative to establish four strategic areas to guide our cooperation and institutionalize our partnership: Disrupt Organized Criminal Groups; Strengthen Institutions; Create a 21st Century Border; and Build Strong and Resilient Communities in Both Countries. Among the major successes against organized crime, by each state with bilateral support, are the following: Some Successes in Mexico • Removal of Key Drug Trafficking Organization Leaders by Mexican Security Forces: -- Arturo Beltran Leyva (killed during attempted arrest) December 2009 (Beltran Leyva Cartel) -- Arrest of Carlos Beltran Leyva, December 2009 (Beltran Leyva Cartel) -- Arrest of Eduardo Teodoro “El Teo” Garcia Simental, January 2010 (Arellano Felix Cartel) • Legal Cooperation: Mexico extradited 107 fugitives to the United States in 2009, exceeding the number of 95 in 2008. • Government of Mexico Statistics on Seizures (December 2006 – March 2010): -- 92 tons of cocaine, 6,500 tons of marijuana y 949 kilos of heroine. -- 30,752 small arms, 38,926 large caliber arms and 4,971 grenades. -- 299 million pesos and 389 million dollars. Some Successes in the United States • U.S. Project Coronado: 303 alleged members of the Familia Michoacana were arrested in October 2009, with 1,186 arrests made over the 44 month project. • U.S. Operation Xcellerator: A multi-agency, multinational effort that targeted the Sinaloa cartel, which resulted in the seizure of $59 million in currency, hundreds of firearms, more than 12,000 kilograms of cocaine, and 12,000 pounds of methamphetamine. More than 750 individuals associated with the Sinaloa cartel were arrested in February 2009. • Economic Sanctions Against Key Drug Trafficking Organizations Pursuant to the Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Designation Act: Since October 2009, OFAC designated 38 individuals and 16 entities tied to the financial and commercial networks of: the Arellano Felix Organization; the Beltran Leyva Organization; the Sinaloa Cartel; and La Familia Michoacana. • U.S. Interagency Border Architecture: This was created for coordinating infrastructure, planning and prioritization, secure flows of cargo and goods, and corridor security initiatives. As a direct result of bilateral cooperation, both countries have achieved the following goals: Disrupt Capacity of Organized Crime to Operate • Currency Seizures: In FY 2009, CBP seized more than $37.2 million in southbound currency—a 270 percent increase over the previous fiscal year. In FY 2009, over $17 million in currency was seized as a result of investigatory cooperation between U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the Government of Mexico. ICE and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) will continue to conduct Operation Firewall through FY 2010. To date, the operation has yielded over $24 million in cash seizures in Mexico. • Arms Trafficking: ICE and the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, & Firearms (ATF) are working jointly on weapons seizures, including through Armas Cruzadas and Project Gun Runner. ATF also rolled out the pilot of the bilingual “Spanish” eTrace to Mexico and Central America. This system allows Mexican investigators to trace weapons known to originate from the United States. • Intelligence Exchange: Strengthening the mechanisms to share information has contributed to actions taken by both countries. • 5 Bell 412 Helicopters for the Mexican Army/Air Force (SEDENA): Delivered December 2009 to provide rapid mobility for security forces for counternarcotics and other security operations. Strengthening Institutions • Criminal Justice Reforms: The United States is supporting Mexico’s implementation of comprehensive criminal-justice reforms through the professionalization of police and prosecutors, systems development, judicial exchanges, and partnerships between Mexican and U.S. law schools. • Training: As of March 2010, 5,500 federal and state officials of all levels from law-enforcement and judicial agencies participated in newly designed training programs. Over 4,300 police officers graduated from the Federal Police (SSP) Basic Investigation Techniques course in San Luis Potosi and are deployed throughout Mexico. • Professional Exchanges: Through expert-to-expert exchanges, programs, and workshops, Mexico’s criminal-justice institutions are working with U.S. law- enforcement and prosecutorial offices to build capacity to combat organized criminal activities that impact both Mexico and the United States. Focus areas include investigation and prosecution of complex cases; trial advocacy skills, including evidence collection and preservation; extradition and fugitive apprehension; witness protection; internal integrity; advanced witness interview techniques; officer safety and protection; and asset forfeiture and asset management. • Corrections System Reform: Ninety-six Mexican instructors completed course work at the New Mexico State Corrections Academy that enabled them to deliver courses to basic trainees at the Mexican National Corrections Academy, and serve as Field Training Officers and mid-level staff in the penitentiary centers. Over 650 basic trainees graduated from Mexican academy in its first year of operation. Staff from the Colorado Department of Corrections also provided training to 72 SSP officials to develop and implement the objective Classification System. • Criminal Justice Reforms: As of March 2010, 87 judges and prosecutors have attended a specialized course on or trials. Plans are under way to take this course to all Mexican states. Building a 21st Century Border • Mexican Customs: Mexican Customs, with CBP support, will establish a Customs training academy in Mexico to promote professionalization of new customs inspectors. DHS has provided assistance to Mexican Customs including: training of 44 canine teams, training on inspection techniques, and curriculum development on customs investigations, with investigative training to begin this year. • Document Verification Software and Biometric Equipment and Training: Delivered to the Mexican Immigration Service (INAMI) and will be used on the Mexican southern border with Guatemala to increase document security and improve the detection of false documents. • Hi-tech Inspections at Ports-of-Entry: Provided scanners, X-ray machines, and other non-intrusive inspection equipment to enhance Mexican authorities’ ability to detect illicit goods at key checkpoints and land and air ports of entry. • Rescue Equipment (Radios, Navigation Equipment): Delivered to support training for 45 Mexican immigration officers in search-and-rescue teams. Build Strong and Resilient Communities in Both Countries • Demand Reduction: The Office of National Drug Control Policy and the U.S. State Department co-hosted a Binational Drug Demand Reduction Conference in February 2010 to gain a greater understanding of the use of media in successful demand reduction efforts as well as share best practices between the U.S. and Mexican participants. See ONDCP Fact Sheet on U.S. demand reduction. • Culture of Lawfulness: A train-the trainer course for the SSP completed in May 2009 enabled the training of approximately 3,000 officers. Twenty-two states are scheduled to offer a minimum of 60 hours of anti-corruption education during the 2009-2010 school year, targeting one million secondary school students. • NGO Dialogue: The Government of Mexico has held 8 meetings with NGOs to exchange points of view on the implementation of the Merida Initiative. • Support for national network of citizen participation councils: Engaged citizens and the media in reporting on and prevention of violence.
23 March 2010
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Putting Hollywood to Work for Haiti
Jimmy Jean-Louis, left, and fellow Heroes actor Dania Ramirez talk with reporters on his latest trip to Haiti.By Jeff BaronStaff Writer Washington — Jimmy Jean-Louis travels between two worlds, and he’s made it his mission to connect them and save lives. His first world was Haiti, where he lived until age 12. His other world is Hollywood, which has made him something of a celebrity with a role (as The Haitian) on the television series Heroes, plus parts in a long list of movies. Like many other Haitians who have left the island in hopes of building a better future, Jean-Louis began trying to improve the lives of those he left behind long before the earthquake devastated the capital, Port-au-Prince, in January. What Jean-Louis realized, though, is that he had an advantage: He had Hollywood. Few Haitians have succeeded in the Hollywood entertainment industry, he said, so his idea was to involve non-Haitians in helping the country and let them use their celebrity to reach a far larger audience. Two years ago, he founded the nonprofit group Hollywood Unites for Haiti to put that dream into action. “If you have a message, you can attract anyone,” Jean-Louis said. “If you can get the attention of Hollywood, you can get the attention of the whole world.” Jean-Louis, 41, knows much of that world. He grew up poor in Petionville, near Port-au-Prince, and in Paris, where his family moved when he was 12. It was there that he started finding an audience as a model and dancer before he moved to Barcelona, Spain, to work in musical theater: “That’s where my professional life really started.” Then came work in Italy, South Africa and England before a move to Los Angeles. “The reason why I went from one to the next one was that I wanted to succeed,” he said. He came to want something beyond success, too. He briefly met Nelson Mandela in South Africa; that “inspired me to become a touch more than what I was,” he said. Having moved from poverty to privilege, “from one extreme to the other,” gave him a mission to help people, he said. And he was certain that, with help, the long-impoverished Haitian people could have a far better life. “We don’t have any ethnic differences. We don’t have any wars in the country. We all speak one language. Why can’t Haiti be fine?” he asked. “We have no reason not to do well.” Given his background in the arts and his love of soccer, he decided that Hollywood Unites for Haiti would reach Haiti’s needy children through the arts and sports as well as education. His group has worked to create arts and sports programs where none exist, and it provides supplies and funding to existing programs. Jean-Louis said it has also bought land in Croix-des-Bouquets, north of Port-au-Prince, to build a sports and arts program and school for children as young as 5 or 6. Since becoming established in Los Angeles, Jean-Louis has been bringing Hollywood co-workers home to Haiti “to open their eyes to this beautiful country that we had.” Actors who have made the trip include Madeleine Stowe, Maria Bello, Dania Ramirez, Josh Brolin and Michael Stahl-David; Anthony LaPaglia is a board member. And the Pan American Development Foundation, a nonprofit group created by the Organization of American States, named him a goodwill ambassador to Haiti’s children. By the beginning of 2010, Jean-Louis said, Haiti’s prospects were looking up: The country was stable and secure, and foreigners were looking to invest. “We had a sense that there was going to be some kind of progress,” he said. The earthquake changed everything. The focus now is on survival instead of soccer: providing food, hygiene and shelter as the rainy season arrives. Like other Haitians, Jean-Louis has had to contend with his own losses. His parents, who moved back to Petionville years ago, survived. “They have lost a house. They have lost some friends,” he said. “I had a house there that collapsed, and one person died in that collapse, and I also have friends that disappeared.” What Jean-Louis always considered an issue that had to involve more than Haitians became a crisis that would require help from all over the world. “It’s a human struggle, not just a Haitian struggle,” he said. It has become Hollywood’s struggle too, he said. George Clooney led a telethon to raise funds for relief efforts. Leonardo DiCaprio donated $1 million. Sean Penn set up a relief organization. Dozens of musicians participated in a new recording of “We Are the World” to raise funds for Haiti. The response, he said, has been gratifying: “It all depends on how it’s being presented, but most of the time you can definitely touch somebody’s heart with such a situation. And if the worst natural disaster of our generation doesn’t touch someone’s heart, what will? “It almost sounds like a test: Can we really live together? Can we really love each other? Because here is the biggest disaster, and what are we going to do about it? And the ‘we’ is everybody.” The work remaining in Haiti is overwhelming, he said. Just back from his second trip to the island since the earthquake, he was tired, and his role in the humanitarian effort has been demanding. “I’m trying to do this and that and this and that, but at the same time I’m thinking, ‘What more can I do?’” he said. For the long term, he said, he has hope, and he would like to see Haiti and Hollywood do business together. “Haiti could be the set for so many different countries in the world, and it’s just down the street from America,” he said.
23 March 2010
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Article
U.S.-Mexico Partnership on Arms Trafficking, Money Laundering
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE Office of the Spokesman March 23, 2010 FACT SHEET United States-Mexico Partnership: Anti-Arms Trafficking and Anti-Money Laundering In support of the goals of the Mérida Initiative, the United States Government (USG) is working closely with the Government of Mexico (GOM) to disrupt the flow of firearms, ammunition, explosives and bulk cash being trafficked/smuggled from the United States into Mexico. The USG and GOM are also working to disrupt the flow of illicit proceeds back to criminal organizations. USG programs focused on training and information sharing are having a positive impact. • Co-located Strike Forces established along the Southwest Border are aggressively targeting the highest-level and most violent drug trafficking organizations to combat their criminal activities, including narcotics and arms trafficking, bulk cash smuggling, and money laundering and financial crimes. • The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)-led Border Enforcement Security Task Forces (BESTs), ten of which are located along the southwest border, leverage U.S. and Mexican law enforcement resources to stop organizations seeking to exploit vulnerabilities on the border for illegal activities, including the exportation of firearms into Mexico. Anti-Arms Trafficking • The USG and the GOM are partnering in unprecedented bilateral interdiction, investigation and information-sharing activities to identify, disrupt, and dismantle trans-border criminal networks that traffic/smuggle weapons from the United States into Mexico. For example, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF) has deployed “Spanish” e- Trace, a web-based system which allows Mexican investigators to trace weapons known to originate from the United States. • The USG has also taken an aggressive approach to combat illicit trafficking in arms by promoting the capabilities of states in the hemisphere to control, secure, and destroy excess national stockpiles as well as to mark and trace firearms. • USG operational efforts have been complemented by Mérida-funded equipment and capacity building efforts. • Four Integrated Ballistics Identification Systems (IBIS) have been provided to forensics labs in Mexico to assist with tracing weapons used in crimes. • Non-intrusive inspection equipment is also being provided to Mexican agencies to help with the detection of guns, money, and drugs. • The USG has sponsored three bilateral conferences on arms trafficking, the first with the U.S. Departments of Justice, State and Homeland Security (DHS) at the ministerial level, followed by two DOJ-organized programs at the working level focusing on Mexico’s northern and southern borders. • K9 training, for experienced Mexican dog handlers and supervisors, is being coordinated and conducted by the USG. Anti-Money Laundering Disrupting the ability to move and launder money is a key tool in disabling the operations of Drug Trafficking Organizations (DTOs). Through a Bilateral Money Laundering Working Group, Mexican and U.S. law enforcement agencies are cooperating to create the programs and strategies that will improve coordination in the area of investigations and prosecutions, bulk cash seizures, and the overall reduction of money laundering activities. The USG, through the Departments of Justice, Homeland Security and Treasury, are coordinating operational and capacity building programs with their Mexican counterparts. • Anti-Money Laundering Capacity Building – Money laundering components are included in the USG training programs developed with Mérida Initiative funding. These modules have already been taught to thousands of Federal Police (SSP) officials, the Attorney General’s office (PGR), the Finance Ministry and other non-governmental organizations (NGOs). The USG continues its vigorous bilateral anti-money laundering investigations with the support of vetted GOM personnel. These investigations target the proceeds and assets of major criminal organizations outside of the United States. • Binational Study on Criminal Proceeds – U.S. and Mexican law enforcement agencies have partnered to increase information sharing, as legally and operationally appropriate, on bulk cash smuggling routes and money laundering networks operating in the United States, Mexico and beyond. • Advanced Investigative Techniques – A bilateral working group is helping to implement advanced investigative techniques targeted against money laundering organizations. Over 350 officials from the PGR, SSP and Finance Ministry have already been trained in advanced money laundering analysis and investigative techniques. • Bulk Currency Operations – Several USG operational initiatives have been launched in an effort to disrupt couriers moving large sums of cash. • Asset Forfeiture – The USG and GOM are seeking ways to support vigorous implementation of Mexico’s asset forfeiture laws, including new legislation enacted last year, in order to deny criminal organizations and leaders the proceeds of their crimes and the resources to commit further offenses against the United States and Mexico. • Economic Sanctions – The National Banking and Security Commission (CNBV) has reinvigorated existing authorities requiring Mexican financial institutions to verify transactions against international watch lists, specifically the U.S. Treasury/OFAC list, which includes key Mexican drug trafficking organizations that have been targeted for designation pursuant to the U.S. Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Designation Act.
23 March 2010
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Article
Obama’s Call to Mexican President Calderón
THE WHITE HOUSE Office of the Press Secretary March 22, 2010 Readout of the President Call with Mexican President Calderón by National Security Council Spokesman Mike Hammer Earlier this afternoon President Obama spoke with Mexican President Felipe Calderón to underscore his Administration commitment to the strong bilateral relationship between the United States and Mexico. For his part, President Calderón took the opportunity to congratulate the President on the historic passage of health care legislation. On the eve of a U.S.-Mexico Merida High Level Consultative Group meeting in Mexico City, President Obama discussed with President Calderón the mutual desire to work together for the benefit of the safety and security of citizens on both sides of our shared border. The President highlighted the importance he places on fulfilling our responsibility in the effort against Mexican drug trafficking organizations as well as our sustained commitment to support Mexico efforts. The President noted that the U.S. delegation traveling to Mexico this week, chaired by Secretary of State Clinton and including Secretary of Defense Gates, Secretary of Homeland Security Napolitano, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mullen, Assistant to the President for Homeland Security Brennan, Director of National Intelligence Blair, and senior officials from the departments of Justice and Treasury, as well as from the Office of the Director of National Drug Control Policy, will provide an opportunity to continue and build upon the unprecedented cooperation between our two countries.
23 March 2010