Mexico City (EFE)
“We are in this case of fentanyl proposing that there be a kind of truce and that those who lose their lives be thought of, that they think of the humanitarian, and I believe that an agreement can be reached on this, regardless of the ideological and politics”, he expressed in his daily press conference.
Discussions with the US
The president made these statements after his meeting on Tuesday with the White House National Security Adviser, Elizabeth Sherwood-Randall, who has visited Mexico three times in less than three months amid the discussions between the two countries over migration and the fentanyl.
“There is a very good attitude on the part of the Government of China, you know that we have been asking the Government of China for collaboration because the raw material for fentanyl and other precursors come from Asia,” said López Obrador.
The president had claimed on May 5 that he had evidence of illegal fentanyl trafficking from China after the Navy found a shipment of more than 20 tons from the Chinese port of Qingdao that contained fentanyl and methamphetamine.
But both Mexico and China have denied that fentanyl is produced in their territories, as the United States Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) maintains.
“We do not want to blame anyone, nothing is gained by confrontation, especially when a humanitarian issue is involved because this has nothing to do with ideology, with political differences, 100,000 people are losing their lives every year in the United States,” added now.
Union of the region against fentanyl
López Obrador indicated that he will ask other Asian countries to get involved in the fight against this synthetic drug.
“Not only China, but South Korea and other countries, we are going to ask them to inform us of who acquires these chemicals, where they are going, where they are coming from, where they are going to arrive, to which ports, cooperation, and in that We are going with the Chinese government,” he said.
On the other hand, he defended Mexico’s advances in the control of fentanyl in the face of growing pressure from the United States, where Republican legislators are asking to declare war on the Mexican cartels and designate them as terrorists.
“Advance is being made, for example progress is being made in port control, the Secretary of the Navy is carrying out a very effective job to confiscate,” he insisted.