Mexican president urges cooperation as US threatens cartel strikes

MEXICO CITY

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum on Friday called for stronger cooperation with Washington after US President Donald Trump said he would soon launch attacks on cartels across the southern border.

At a news conference in the coastal state of Guerrero, Sheinbaum reaffirmed her willingness to collaborate more closely with the US to tackle drug trafficking, as Trump asserted that a military-led operation involving strikes on Mexican territory is coming.

“We are going to strengthen communication, which is why I asked (Foreign Minister) Juan Ramon de la Fuente to meet with the (US) secretary of state ... three days ago Secretary (of State Marco) Rubio himself spoke about the good coordination, there is a working group, so we will further strengthen the relationship, the information we are providing ... in short, that they have all the information,” said Sheinbaum.

Following the Jan. 3 US military operation in Venezuela that led to the capture of President Nicolas Maduro, Trump said Mexico was next in line for strikes against drug cartels.

Trump, claiming that the cartels were the real force governing Mexico and Sheinbaum was unable to confront them, vowed that Washington would “start, now, hitting land.”

“The cartels are running Mexico -- it’s very, very sad to watch, and see what’s happened to that country,” he said in an interview Thursday.

Sheinbaum has long opposed foreign troops or foreign-led strikes on Mexican soil.

During Friday’s news conference, she said Mexico and the US maintained an existing agreement on battling drug trafficking.

She cited ongoing collaboration between the Mexican National Guard and Navy with the US military's Northern Command, resulting in major blows to organized crime and drug trafficking, such as a recent cocaine bust of 1.6 tons after it landed on the country’s Pacific coast.

When pressed by reporters on what her government would do if Trump refused to engage in dialogue and started launching military offensives on Mexican ground, Sheinbaum ruled out considering anything beyond cooperation.

“We do not want to think about any other scenario; rather, we want to continue working within that scenario so that coordination is further strengthened within the framework of the defense of our sovereignties on both sides and of Mexico’s territorial integrity,” Sheinbaum added.