Drug War: Mexico Secretary of Interior says, "The country is not at war, nor can one speak of an armed conflict"

Hum? How does this line up with statistics released today by the Attorney Generals Office that there were 12, 903 deaths between January and the end of September, 2011,which could put the total for the year at 17,294. The official total for 2010 was 15,273. That would mean a 13.3% increase in deaths. 

We are reminded, once again, of the advice to "take out the 'not'" when politicians speak of supposed realities.

La Jornada: "Mexico is not at war and it does not meet the criteria of international law for an armed conflict. derived from the national strategy for public safety and combating organized crime groups, the Interior Minister, Alejandro Poire, said while inaugurating the Forum on Security with Legality, in Xalapa, Veracruz.

He said that the federal government has developed a comprehensive and repsonsible strategy to strengthen  the rule of law throughout the country, to ensure that all citizens can fully exercise their rights and freedoms and also, of course, to bring all offenders to justice.

He rejected criticism about individual rights being violated by the armed forces in fighting organized crime, and noted that the abuses documented by the National Commission on Human Rights (CNDH) are minimal and are the exception, not the rule.  Poiré reported that, according to the CNDH report, from 2007 to 2011 5,814 complaints were received against elements of the Secretariat of National Defense. He said that in only 90 cases was sufficient evidence found to make a recommendation, which represents 1.5 percent of total complaints. In the case of the Navy Department recommendations have only issued in 1.8 percent of cases.

The head of domestic government affairs also refuted the arguments that rates of insecurity and violence have soared when federal forces are present in regions where state and local governments have asked for support. He said, to the contrary, "thanks to the intervention of federal forces in joint operations, there has been a significant and specific reduction in violence and insecurity in those regions where our actions have achieved greater operational maturity."

He said that between 2010 and 2011 in Tijuana, Baja California, and Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua, there have been decreases of  87 percent and 70 percent, respectively, in the incidence of homicide, and the regions of Veracruz and Laguna region, similar declines have been registered  in the commission of crimes." Spanish original