Mexico safer after military crackdown on violence: president
15/1/2007 16:19
Mexican President Felipe Calderon said yesterday that the country has
become safer since he sent troops to fight drug-related violence during his
first period in office.
"Today Mexico has more peace and certainty than at
the beginning of my term and that fills me with satisfaction," Calderon told a
news conference at the presidential residence.
The president, who began his
six-year term in December, has sent thousands of troops to several border states
to stop waves of drug-related killings.
Soldiers have taken a number of
measures such as burning hidden mountain-side marijuana crops, confiscating guns
and busting drug gang members to curb violence.
Calderon said homicides have
declined by 70 percent since his decision to fight violence with the
military.
Calderon promised to make fighting crime a top priority of his
presidency during his election campaign.
Xinhua
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