GrandeDavid
07-30-2005, 10:46 AM
http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/mexico/stories/MYSA073005.1A.border_consulate.2280a423.html
Nuevo Laredo consulate closed
Web Posted: 07/30/2005 12:00 AM CDT
Dane Schiller
Express-News Mexico City Bureau
MEXICO CITY — The U.S. government is shutting its consulate in Nuevo Laredo temporarily, citing new safety concerns in the wake of a high-stakes drug-cartel turf war that intensified this week to include rocket-propelled grenades, officials said.
U.S. Ambassador Tony Garza said an early Friday morning gangland battle involving "unusually advanced weaponry," led to the decision to close the consulate for all but emergency services for one week.
"I have made this decision so that we can assess the security situation for our employees, American travelers to the region, and visitors to the consulate," said Garza, who for months has warned that cartel violence in Nuevo Laredo was a danger to U.S. citizens.
"We will be gauging what should be a swift and certain response from the government of Mexico to bring this situation under control," said Garza, who added that a decision on whether to re-open the consulate will be made a week from Monday, when the closure starts.
The office of Mexican President Vicente Fox didn't have an immediate reaction to the closure announcement, made at the close of business Friday.
But Mexico's foreign ministry did issue a brief statement. It did not criticize the consulate's closure, but noted the U.S. government is recognizing that Mexico is and will continue to fight the cartels.
"As we have reiterated many times, the federal government has maintained a constant fight and made a series of efforts to halt violence on the border," the statement read.
Fox and Garza have clashed over some of the U.S. government's criticisms of Mexico's efforts to cut down the cartels and control violence that has claimed as many as 100 lives in Nuevo Laredo this year.
The clash is said to be part of a battle between drug cartels for control of the underworld of Nuevo Laredo and thus access to coveted smuggling routes for sneaking cocaine and marijuana into South Texas by hiding it among otherwise legitimate commercial traffic.
Raul Salinas, a retired FBI agent who was based in Mexico and is running for mayor of Laredo, across the Rio Grande from Nuevo Laredo, said the public may not know all the details regarding the reasons behind the closure.
"We have to take the appropriate measures to ensure the safety of every American, especially those working at government posts abroad," he said. "We do not know if there have been threats, but when you have a threat, the first thing you do is respond accordingly."
In the latest round of violence, two residential homes were targeted late Thursday and early Friday. Both were sprayed with machine gun fire and one was hit with what was believed to be grenade launcher.
More than 1,000 rounds reportedly were fired in the attack Thursday, and at least three people may have been kidnapped.
"The battle left a residential street resembling a war zone," the Associated Press reported from Nuevo Laredo. "Grenades were strewn about the scene, and soldiers who moved in to recover them said they had been lobbed at the home and exploded."
The Associated Press also said authorities found three massive shell casings, believed to be from a rocket launcher, according to unnamed investigators.
There was no official police version of the events Friday. Police said no one had been injured or killed, but splotches of blood stained the streets in front of one house, according to the Associated Press report.
Mexico's attorney general's office released a statement saying it is investigating the shooting and provided a detailed list of some of the items seized from one of the attacked homes, including 14 photos of men in municipal police uniforms, along with their names and nicknames.
Police have taken a dangerous and high-profile role in the ongoing violence. Officers have both been arrested for assisting drug cartels and killed for either helping a rival or refusing to turn a blind eye to crime. They are seen as key to controlling the streets of Nuevo Laredo.
What happens is often referred to as the 'silver or lead offer,' as in take the money and play along with us or be shot to death if you don't.
Other items found at the home included assault rifles, hundreds of rounds of ammunition, communications equipment and a Chevy Tahoe registered to a Laredo address.
Meanwhile, the U.S. decision to close the Nuevo Laredo consulate will likely further intensify an ongoing spat between the United States and Mexico over how to handle the cartels.
Fox has declared to "fight the mother of all battles," against the cartels, and recently unleashed an operation in which hundreds of soldiers and federal police were dispatched to the border to help restore order.
A U.S. official who declined to be named said the closure decision was about safety, not about politics.
"We are worried that people are getting killed, and these weapons will bring the numbers up a lot," said the official, who noted that reports indicated rocket-propelled grenades, machine guns and other weapons were used in one of the attacks.
"There is a general concern the situation is getting worse, not better," he said.
Nuevo Laredo consulate closed
Web Posted: 07/30/2005 12:00 AM CDT
Dane Schiller
Express-News Mexico City Bureau
MEXICO CITY — The U.S. government is shutting its consulate in Nuevo Laredo temporarily, citing new safety concerns in the wake of a high-stakes drug-cartel turf war that intensified this week to include rocket-propelled grenades, officials said.
U.S. Ambassador Tony Garza said an early Friday morning gangland battle involving "unusually advanced weaponry," led to the decision to close the consulate for all but emergency services for one week.
"I have made this decision so that we can assess the security situation for our employees, American travelers to the region, and visitors to the consulate," said Garza, who for months has warned that cartel violence in Nuevo Laredo was a danger to U.S. citizens.
"We will be gauging what should be a swift and certain response from the government of Mexico to bring this situation under control," said Garza, who added that a decision on whether to re-open the consulate will be made a week from Monday, when the closure starts.
The office of Mexican President Vicente Fox didn't have an immediate reaction to the closure announcement, made at the close of business Friday.
But Mexico's foreign ministry did issue a brief statement. It did not criticize the consulate's closure, but noted the U.S. government is recognizing that Mexico is and will continue to fight the cartels.
"As we have reiterated many times, the federal government has maintained a constant fight and made a series of efforts to halt violence on the border," the statement read.
Fox and Garza have clashed over some of the U.S. government's criticisms of Mexico's efforts to cut down the cartels and control violence that has claimed as many as 100 lives in Nuevo Laredo this year.
The clash is said to be part of a battle between drug cartels for control of the underworld of Nuevo Laredo and thus access to coveted smuggling routes for sneaking cocaine and marijuana into South Texas by hiding it among otherwise legitimate commercial traffic.
Raul Salinas, a retired FBI agent who was based in Mexico and is running for mayor of Laredo, across the Rio Grande from Nuevo Laredo, said the public may not know all the details regarding the reasons behind the closure.
"We have to take the appropriate measures to ensure the safety of every American, especially those working at government posts abroad," he said. "We do not know if there have been threats, but when you have a threat, the first thing you do is respond accordingly."
In the latest round of violence, two residential homes were targeted late Thursday and early Friday. Both were sprayed with machine gun fire and one was hit with what was believed to be grenade launcher.
More than 1,000 rounds reportedly were fired in the attack Thursday, and at least three people may have been kidnapped.
"The battle left a residential street resembling a war zone," the Associated Press reported from Nuevo Laredo. "Grenades were strewn about the scene, and soldiers who moved in to recover them said they had been lobbed at the home and exploded."
The Associated Press also said authorities found three massive shell casings, believed to be from a rocket launcher, according to unnamed investigators.
There was no official police version of the events Friday. Police said no one had been injured or killed, but splotches of blood stained the streets in front of one house, according to the Associated Press report.
Mexico's attorney general's office released a statement saying it is investigating the shooting and provided a detailed list of some of the items seized from one of the attacked homes, including 14 photos of men in municipal police uniforms, along with their names and nicknames.
Police have taken a dangerous and high-profile role in the ongoing violence. Officers have both been arrested for assisting drug cartels and killed for either helping a rival or refusing to turn a blind eye to crime. They are seen as key to controlling the streets of Nuevo Laredo.
What happens is often referred to as the 'silver or lead offer,' as in take the money and play along with us or be shot to death if you don't.
Other items found at the home included assault rifles, hundreds of rounds of ammunition, communications equipment and a Chevy Tahoe registered to a Laredo address.
Meanwhile, the U.S. decision to close the Nuevo Laredo consulate will likely further intensify an ongoing spat between the United States and Mexico over how to handle the cartels.
Fox has declared to "fight the mother of all battles," against the cartels, and recently unleashed an operation in which hundreds of soldiers and federal police were dispatched to the border to help restore order.
A U.S. official who declined to be named said the closure decision was about safety, not about politics.
"We are worried that people are getting killed, and these weapons will bring the numbers up a lot," said the official, who noted that reports indicated rocket-propelled grenades, machine guns and other weapons were used in one of the attacks.
"There is a general concern the situation is getting worse, not better," he said.