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Mexico Bristles at US Cartel Terror Designation Plan

Reuters

   MEXICO CITY - President Andres ManuelLopez Obrador said Friday that he
   would not permit an armed foreignintervention a century after Mexico
   was last invaded, reflectingfears of U.S. President Donald Trump's plan
   to designate thecountry's drug cartels as terrorist groups.

   Designating groups as foreign terrorist organizations isaimed at
   disrupting their finances by imposing U.S. sanctions.While it does not
   directly give authority for overseas militaryoperations, many Mexicans
   are nervous it could lead tounilateral U.S. action against gangs.

   "Since 1914 there hasn't been a foreign intervention inMexico, and we
   cannot permit that," Lopez Obrador said at a newsconference, referring
   to the U.S. occupation of the port ofVeracruz 105 years ago. U.S.
   troops also entered Mexico in 1916,chasing revolutionaryPanchoVilla
   after he killed U.S.citizens.

   Trump has repeatedly offered military assistance to helpcombat the
   cartels, but Mexico has consistently declined theoffer, even after the
   gangland massacre of a U.S.-Mexican familythis month.

   "Armed foreigners cannot intervene in our territory," LopezObrador
   said, instead offering more cooperation with the UnitedStates on
   fighting drug gangs, which have shown their power in aseries of battles
   with security forces and civilians in recentmonths.

   U.S. Attorney General William Barr will visit Mexico nextweek to
   discuss security cooperation, Mexico's foreign ministersaid earlier.

   The U.S. Embassy in Mexico did not respond to arequest for comment.

   Tariff threat

   The growing pressure on criminal gangs comes after Trumpthis year
   forced Mexico's hand on immigration by threatening toimpose tariffs on
   Mexican exports to the United States.

   Lopez Obrador conceded to a U.S. initiative launched inJanuary called
   the Migrant Protection Protocols that has forcednearly 59,000 migrants
   to wait in Mexico for their U.S.immigration court hearings.

   He also sent the newly formed National Guard, created totackle Mexico's
   spiraling gang-fueled violence, to Mexico'sborders to help stop
   migrants from reaching U.S. soil.

   While the two countries already work together extensively oncombating
   cartels, some U.S. security officials have said theyfind it harder to
   work with Lopez Obrador's government, whichtook office a year ago.

   Gladys McCormick, a security analyst at Syracuse Universityin New York,
   said she expected Lopez Obrador and ForeignMinister MarceloEbrardto
   "put up more of a fight on thisissue."

   "Ebrardis waiting to hear from Barr on what precisely sucha designation
   will entail for Mexico, given the lack of detailsand precedent such
   designation carries," she said.

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