Central American leaders say meeting with US vice president to focus on drugs, violent crime

[Judi Lynn]

Central American leaders say meeting with US vice president to focus on drugs, violent crime
By Associated Press, Updated: Tuesday, March 6, 4:12 PM

TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras — Central American leaders gathered Tuesday to meet with U.S. Vice President Joe Biden, saying they would focus on drug trafficking and the violent crime that plagues their region.

Guatemalan President Otto Perez has said he favors legalizing drugs as a way to decrease drug cartel violence. On Monday, during a visit to Mexico, Biden said the U.S. government doesn’t think that is the answer.

After arriving in Honduras’ capital for Tuesday’s meeting, Perez didn’t say whether he would bring up drug legalization at the session. But speaking at the Tegucigalpa airport, Perez said it was an opportune time to discuss “organized crime, drug trafficking and the problems the region faces.”

Costa Rican President Laura Chinchilla said the region is suffering from the ills tied to drug trafficking and consumption, and “we demand the United States assume responsibility.”

More:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/the_americas/central-american-leaders-say-meeting-with-us-vice-president-to-focus-on-drugs-violent-crime/2012/03/06/gIQAy3qAvR_story.html

[Judi Lynn]

1. Biden in Honduras: US drug policy under scrutiny

Biden in Honduras: US drug policy under scrutiny
Even staunch US allies in the Americas are urging a debate on drug policy – including legalization – amid spiraling violence in their countries.
By Sara Miller Llana, Staff writer / March 6, 2012

Mexico City

As US Vice President Joe Biden arrives in Honduras to meet with Central American leaders today, the long accepted playbook on a top issue – the war on drugs – is coming under sharp scrutiny.

In the past five years, drug-trafficking violence has led to spiraling death tolls, overflowing prisons, and overwhelmed justice systems across Mexico and Central America. Now, led by Guatemalan President Otto Perez Molina, leaders are starting to question a policy review is needed, including a debate on legalizing narcotics.

It is not the first time players in the region have questioned hardline tactics. But now the message is coming from sitting presidents in staunch US allies, from Costa Rica to Colombia. So far the US has dug in its heels, but the pressure is mounting.

“This is a sign of what is to come.... Increasingly, countries are less afraid to explore other alternatives,” says Jorge Hernandez Tinajero, the president of CUPIHD, a civil society organization in Mexico that disseminates information about drug policies. “It makes it harder for the US to continue justifying the status quo.”

More:
http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Americas/2012/0306/Biden-in-Honduras-US-drug-policy-under-scrutiny?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+feeds%2Fworld+%28Christian+Science+Monitor+%7C+World%29

[msongs]

2. violent crime = murdering women and kids by drone attacks nt