Mexico, US draw up outlines of new security framework

By CHRISTOPHER SHERMAN
Associated Press

MEXICO CITY (AP) — High-level delegations from Mexico and the United States have laid out the outlines of a new security framework for the bilateral relationship that at least conceptually mark a departure from the mindset that steered their cooperation over the past decade. The so-called U.S.-Mexico Bicentennial Framework for Security, Public Health and Safe Communities seeks to move beyond the 13-year-old Merida Initiative that focused on building Mexico’s crime-fighting capabilities and rule of law projects. The new framework adds a more robust social component with attention to opportunities for youth and addiction treatment. Mexico Foreign Affairs Secretary Marcelo Ebrard said Friday: “Goodbye Merida, welcome Bicentennial agreement.”