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-- A similar story citing the same objections quoted Mouriño further that any provisions of the initiative that do not guarantee full respect for Mexico's sovereignty will be unacceptable.

-- El Universal's editorial also addressed the initiative stating in part, "There is hardly any reason why facing a problem with many facets -- police, judicial, political, social, economic and cultural -- diplomatic friction is now provoked between those who ought to come together..."  The short editorial ends with a survey that showed the people believe the narco-war can be won, that the US is not taking its part, that the government has vast support, that the Army should participate, that the bad guys may be winning for now, and that legalizing certain drugs would help.  It adds, "Are we listening?"

-- The ex-president of the PAN political party, Manuel Espino, placed in doubt the accuracy of affirmations made last week by Mexico's Attorney General that the federal government is winning the fight against narcotraffic.  To his statement, the AJ had added, "although it doesn't seem so."  Espino said that the government should be able to say if they are winning, "but I don't have that perception."  Apart from his statements, Ruth Zavaleta (PRD), president of the chamber of deputies (equivalent: Speaker of the House) stated that because of the violence in combating narcotraffic, the situation in Mexico is worse than in Colombia.  I do believe that we are worse than Colombia, because furthermore we have poverty we have not detected in the mountains in remote areas," she said.  The strategy of Calderón's government is reckless, pleasing only one group but lacking participation of the people, she added. (PRD is a leftist party)

-- A total of 15 executions occurred in the states of Chihuahua, Michoacán, Baja California, Sinaloa and the state of México earlier today.  Nine of the executions were In Chihuahua, with three men decapitated and messages left against Joaquin "El Chapo" Joaquín, leader of the Sinaloa Cartel.  

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Cuarto Poder (Chiapas) 6/3/08

The violent criminal gang Mara Salvatrucha is reported to have more than 150,000 active members throughout the US, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Guatemala and the Mexican state of Chiapas.  The membership is growing and spreading.  In order to be less conspicuous, they have abandoned the old practice of tattooing themselves with the well-known "MS13" and "Barrio18," thus allowing them to mix into the communities anonymously.   An estimated 30,000 members are active in the US.

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La Crónica de Hoy (Mexico City) 6/3/08

Federal police in Reynosa, Tamaulipas arrested nine members of an armed group and seized more than 27 kilos of cocaine, 8 fragmentation grenades, firearms and more than 8,000 rounds of ammunition.  They also confiscated 8 vehicles.

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El Informador (Guadalajara, Jalisco) 6/3/08

Academics question strategy.  Jorge Reginaldo Santillán, a specialist at the Central University of Social Sciences and Humanities (CUCSH) of the University of Guadalajara, pointed out that there are no halfway measures to confront the problem of national insecurity against organized crime.  The authorities want to confront it with more armament for the police, when they should improve their intelligence operations.  Dante Haro Reyes, also of CUCSH, pointed out that in other countries that have been able to control organized crime, they use four ways: attacking the centers of power, attacking criminal operating financing, unmasking officials involved with crime and confronting their armed branch.  In Mexico only the last one has been used.  For both specialists the use of the Army in the fight against narcotraffic is undesirable and if used, should be regulated.

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-end of report-

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