Left and Right Unite to Oppose Mexico Foreign Policy Scheme

Amnesty International Joins Opposition to Bush’s Merida Initiative

Contact:
NYC: Robert Jereski, 212-973-1782
Washington, DC: Harry Bubbins, 646 641 5788

Opposition to the President’s ebbing “Merida Initiative” scheme to give $1.4 Billion in military aid to Mexico’s police and military implicated in widespread human rights violations grew with Amnesty International issuing a statement to Congress.

“Aid for Mexico must not be a blank check for Mexican security forces that have been implicated in crimes like rape and torture,” said Larry Cox, executive director of Amnesty International USA (AIUSA). Amnesty International said that any initiative to support Mexico’s fight against drug cartels and organized crime must focus on the rule of law and should also press for justice in the unresolved killing of U.S. journalist Bradley Roland Will, and other civilians, in Oaxaca in 2006.

“We are encouraged by Amnesty International’s recognition of human rights abuses by Mexican forces,” said Robert Jereski of Friends of Brad Will. “But we hope for more from human rights organizations, especially when top labor unions reject this dangerous scheme outright.”

“Authorizing assistance for the security forces without requiring human rights violators to be punished and ensuring that basic freedoms are protected would further undermine the rule of law in Mexico,” said Renata Rendón, advocacy director for the Americas at AIUSA. “American taxpayers should not foot the bill for military and police forces with histories of abuse …”

“We do not believe “human rights safeguards” are adequate.” said Harry Bubbins, of Friends of Brad Will “Given the outstanding crimes by Mexico, including the murder of U.S. reporter Brad Will, we need to see actual progress on these cases. Military aid now would only reward impunity,” added Mr. Bubbins.

Even Republicans oppose aid

Rep. John Culberson, R-Houston, said he opposed providing the assistance to Mexico. “These resources should go to our own law enforcement officers rather than Mexico’s,” Culberson said. Senator John Cornyn, R-Texas, opposes including the funds in the Iraq war supplemental. Senator Coryn believes additional funding requests should be reviewed on their merits through the normal appropriations process, a position advanced by Friends of Brad Will since 2007.

If Congress were to rubber stamp this scheme in the President’s waning days, U.S. foreign policy options would be severely curtailed for decades to come. The Merida Initiative would arm unaccountable, corrupt and brutal military and police; contribute to the erosion of civil liberties in one of our largest trading partners; increase violence and instability in Mexico; and waste U.S. taxpayer money to benefit a few connected military contractors, like Blackwater.

Friends of Brad Will is a nationwide network of activists, friends and family members of Brad Will, the U.S. journalist who was murdered by Mexican government paramilitaries in broad daylight in Oaxaca, Mexico in October 2006. Despite numerous eye witnesses and photographic/video evidence, no one has been held accountable. Friends of Brad Will has been educating, organizing, and pressuring the U.S. government to work on behalf of Brad Will and to reject the Merida Initiative. http://friendsofbradwill.org

More on the Merida Initiative here: http://americas.irc-online.org/am/5118
For more information, please visit: www.amnestyusa.org/mexico

http://www.upi.com/NewsTrack/Top_News/2008/05/13/gop_merida_plan_likely_to_fail_in_house/7239/

WASHINGTON, May 13 (UPI) — Ranking Republicans predict a $500 million measure to combat drug violence in Latin America will fail when the House votes on it Wednesday.

GOP lawmakers told the Washington Times they did not think the so-called Merida Initiative, named after the historic Mexican city in the Yucatan, would pass because it had been glommed on to a supplemental funding bill for the war in Iraq and Afghanistan.

“The supplemental spending bill is the not the appropriate vehicle for this particular funding initiative,” said Rep. Duncan Hunter, R-Calif.

Some Republicans added that they had doubts about the effectiveness of the plan on the assumption that Mexican law-enforcement agencies were riddled with corruption and would undermine the Merida program.

The Times said Mexico has been urging passage of the plan, which would improve coordination of anti-drug efforts among the United States, Mexico and nations in Central America.

Will the Democratic Party and inside-the-beltway human rights organizations remain silent about its dangers?

(May 8, New York/Maryland) Opposition to the President’s ebbing “Merida Initiative”, a scheme to give $1.4 Billion in military aid to Mexico’s police and military forces implicated in widespread human rights violations, has led to an extraordinary 3rd oversight hearing by Congress. On May 1st, the AFL-CIO, the powerful U.S. parent union, sent letters detailing their opposition and warning of the dangers of the pact to Democratic Chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee Howard Berman and to Congressman Delahunt Chair of the Subcommittee on International Organizations, Human Rights, and Oversight, urging them to reject the Bush Administration’s request for military aid to Mexico. Yet critics questioned the witnesses Congress has called to testify on the Bush “security” plan as being uncritical boosters or vaguely indicating support under a pretense of concern and questions. Not a single opponent of the Merida Initiative has been called to testify.

“Labor organizations like the AFL-CIO and the US Steelworkers have demanded that Congress not fund this “Plan Mexico”, said Robert Jereski of Friends of Brad Will, likening it to the notorious failures of “Plan Colombia”. “We are extremely disappointed that a few inside the beltway human rights organizations have yet to issue statements against it.” Jereski went on to single out the Washington Office on Latin America (WOLA) , invited to testify today (for the second time), as providing cover for the Bush Administration’s militarized approach to foreign policy. WOLA has stated, “To be clear, we are neither for it nor oppose the initiative.”

Advocates are also troubled by another invited witness from the Creative Associates International Inc (CAII), which is linked to the former military dictatorship of Haiti and the drug-trafficking Contras of Nicaragua. In 2003, the company came under close scrutiny by Congress and the press for receiving its Iraq contracts without competitively bidding for them. The no-bid contract with CAII was one of a number of no-bid contracts benefiting U.S. corporations including Bechtel (which has been subcontracted by CAII to build schools), Halliburton, and others that profited from rebuilding in Iraq. Ninety percent of CAII funds come from USAID. USAID is a federal government agency that receives foreign policy guidance from the Secretary of State. “Congress must begin to exercise its independent oversight role by inviting a range of voices to explore potential ramifications for our foreign policy and the outstanding human rights violations in Mexico, including the murder of U.S. reporter Brad Will” said Harry Bubbins.

Senator Christopher Dodd (D-Conn.) observed that the Merida Initiative had been ”concocted” under the “old war on drugs paradigm.” Calling for an effective approach to be explored, he declared “the Merida Initiative will never succeed.”

If Congress were to rubber stamp this scheme in the President’s waning days, U.S. foreign policy options would be severely curtailed for decades to come. The Merida Initiative would arm unaccountable, corrupt and brutal military and police; contribute to the erosion of civil liberties in one of our largest trading partners; increase violence and instability in Mexico; and waste U.S. taxpayer money to benefit a few connected military contractors.

“Instead of defending a largely ineffective human rights certification process and opining whether 80% or 65% of lethal aid is justified, advocates on the Hill must stand up and Just Say No to Plan Mexico” concluded Robert Jereski.

Friends of Brad Will is a nationwide network of activists, friends and family members of Brad Will, the U.S. journalist who was murdered by Mexican government paramilitaries in broad daylight in Oaxaca, Mexico in October 2006. Despite numerous eye witnesses and photographic/video evidence, no one has been held accountable. Friends of Brad Will has been educating, organizing, and pressuring the U.S. government to work on behalf of Brad Will and to reject the Merida Initiative. http://friendsofbradwill.org

More on the Merida Initiative here: http://americas.irc-online.org/am/5118

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OFFICIAL HEARING NOTICE

Committee on Foreign Affairs
U.S. House of Representatives

You are respectfully requested to attend the following OPEN hearing of the
Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere, to be held in Room 2226 of the Rayburn House Office Building.

Date:
Thursday, May 08, 2008
10:00 AM
Subject:
“The Merida Initiative”

witnesses:
Panel I
The Honorable Thomas A. Shannon
Assistant Secretary
Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs
U.S. Department of State

Panel II
Mr. Harold Sibaja
Regional Director, Alliance for Prevention
Creative Associates International, Inc.

Mr. Geoff Thale
Program Director
Washington Office on Latin America