Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto
Government officials from Central America and Mexico gathered in Costa Rica this week to discuss strengthening trade and strategies on the “war on drugs,” which is also a focus for the regional Central American Integration System (SICA) summit with Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto on February 19-20.
Costa Rican Foreign Minister Enrique Castillo identified a priority for the joint effort to fight organized crime, which according to the latest U.N. has made some countries in Central America, such as Guatemala and Honduras the most violent regions in the world. In Guatemala, the World Report 2012 stated that Guatemala has one of the highest rates of violent crime in the region, and according Wikipedia, since 2006, Mexico had between 60,000 and 100,000 drug related deaths and 1.6 million displaced.
On Feb. 19, 2013, Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto will arrive in Costa Rica and participate in the summit of the Central American Integration System (SICA).
Also in attendance are officials from the Central American Bank of Economic Integration, the Inter-American Development Bank and the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean, as well as the secretary general of SICA.
U.S. data shows that nearly 90 percent of the cocaine shipped from South America passes through Central America on its way to the United States. Costa Rica, while not a producer of cocaine has become a major transit point and the country has implemented major efforts through joint task forces to stem the flow of illicit drug movement.
The Costa Rica News (TCRN)
San Jose Costa Rica
