How the ATF's gun-running misfired for Caldéron

[CHIMO]

On 3 March, it was revealed that since 2008, the US Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) has allowed thousands of weapons to enter Mexico as part of an undercover operation aimed at uncovering arms trafficking networks in the United States. The operations, dubbed "Fast and Furious", "Project Gunrunner" and "Wide Receiver", infuriated US lawmakers and led to congressional hearings only days later. Testifying before Congress, American officials gave unequivocal positions: US Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano denied having previous knowledge of the operations, while Attorney General Eric Holder admitted to knowing of the ATF's gun-tracking tactics, but called cross-border gun-trafficking "not acceptable". Both pledged further investigations.

The response from Mexico's federal government could not have been more different. When initial reports on the "gun-walking" operations arose in late February, the Mexican embassy in the United States seemingly defended ATF's work by reaffirming Mexico's commitment to working with the US in enhancing intelligence and information-sharing, as well as encouraging "more aggressive interdiction efforts on the US side of the border". Once further information on the gun-running scheme was uncovered, and the Mexican public grew more outraged, the Mexican response became more confused. In apparent ignorance of the ATF's tactics across the border, on 5 March, Mexico's ministry of foreign affairs requested detailed information from US authorities on these operations and threatened to pay "special interest" to the department of justice and the ATF's ongoing investigations.

Following Attorney General Holder's testimony before Congress on 10 March, the US embassy in Mexico issued a press release summarising Holder's remarks and declaring that US law enforcement had briefed Mexican counter-trafficking officials as plans unfolded on operations in the United States – in contradiction of Mexico's 5 March statement.

So, who's lying? Apparently, no one. In an effort to resolve the paradox posed by the contradictory statements, the US embassy in Mexico issued yet another press release, a day later, clarifying that Mexico did indeed know of the US side of the sting operations, but had no knowledge of operations that might include the controlled trafficking of arms to Mexican territory. Clarifications aside, suspicion aroused by the conflicting statements has led Mexican legislators to intensify their demands for a detailed explanation by the Caldéron administration of its knowledge
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/cifamerica/2011/mar/18/mexico-drugs-trade

[bemildred]

1. The real problem is that the US-Mexican attempt to suppress the drug trade with violence

has done bit them in the ass, bad, and now they are bickering about who gets to hold the bag.