KEEP MEXICO'S VIOLENCE IN PERSPECTIVE

In order to strengthen Mexican democracy, President Felipe Calderon
has made the decision to fight crime head-on in all its forms, a
decision he has upheld from the first day he entered office in December, 2006.

He committed himself to taking back the economic power that drug
cartels and organized criminal groups have established over the past
two decades, and to block their capacity to contest the state's
monopoly on force.

These efforts have yielded significant results. In the past two
years, the government has seized over 70 tons of cocaine and 31,000
weapons. It also has arrested more than 58,000 people, including
several kingpins. These advances have come with a steep human and
financial cost for Mexico.

It is difficult for our country to confront this threat alone. In
this regard, one of the most critical challenges we face is the
illegal flow of weapons into Mexico. It is vital for Mexico to
maintain and enhance co-operation with other countries, including
Canada, in security matters and the fight against common enemies,
such as organized crime.

As the recent violence shows, drug gangs are now fighting each other
in an attempt to retain a share of their ever-shrinking business.
This drug-related violence has created, on occasion, a distorted
image of Mexico as a whole.

Even though every loss of life is tragic, it is important to note
that, in this recent spate of killings, 93% of the deaths were linked
to organized crime groups fighting over territory. A large number of
the executed were distributors, informants, assassins and managers of
front businesses for illegal activity. Over 30% of the bodies were
left unclaimed--a clear sign of confrontation between criminal groups.

Mexico as a whole has 10.7 violent deaths per 100,000 inhabitants, a
rate equal to that of the United States in the early '90s, and lower
than current rates in Guatemala, El Salvador, Colombia, Venezuela and
Brazil, as well as several U. S. cities. Once police and government
at all levels begin to significantly increase their co-ordination,
crime rates will drop, though it certainly won't happen immediately.

In June, 2009,Mexican courts and police will undergo reorganization,
and new legislation will allow the country to have, for the first
time, a national public security system unifying all police forces at
national, state and municipal levels in adopting the same procedures
for recruitment, assessment, training, promotion and operations.

Every police officer in the country will be exhaustively and
carefully vetted. In the meantime, the Federal Police force has
expanded from 9,000 officers in 2006 to 26,000 currently, with
additional funding approved to assist local law enforcement in certain areas.

As a consequence of the violence in our country, in late February,
2009, an official Canadian Web site issued advice for potential
Canadian tourists who may plan to visit Mexican cities bordering the
United States, particularly Tijuana and Ciudad Juarez, which have
been affected by the fights against drug cartels. Notably, the Web
site stipulated in red: "There is no Official Warning for this country."

Mexico ranks 10th in the world as an international travel
destination, and is the No. 1 international tourism destination for
Canadians after the United States. Many tourists to the country are
repeat visitors, demonstrating that the majority are still satisfied,
and leave with overwhelmingly positive impressions.

Mexico remains a safe tourist destination. This fact is reflected in
the 22.6 million international visitors that arrived in 2008, of
which 1,144,650 were Canadians -- a 20% increase over the previous year.

Nevertheless, visitors to any destination in the world should
exercise caution and common sense, and the same holds true when
travelling to Mexico.

I invite travellers going to Mexico to abide by the law and relevant
codes of conduct, so that everyone can have a good time, and travel safely.

- -Francisco Barrio Terrazas is ambassador of Mexico to Canada.