MEXICO'S VIOLENCE SHOULD NOT DETER FIGHT AGAINST DRUG CARTELS,
SUGGESTS TOP OFFICIAL

EL PASO -- The man in charge of protecting this nation's borders said
today that growing violence in Mexico should not deter governments in
either country from continuing the fight against drug cartels and
other criminal groups.

"We are at a difficult point," said Alan Bersin, head of U.S. Customs
and Border Protection. "And in fact (cartel-related violence) has been
characterized as a crisis of legitimacy - an effort on the part of
organized crime to challenge the legitimacy of the state."

Bersin spoke at the end of the 7th Annual Border Security Conference
at the University of Texas at El Paso.

As other U.S. officials have done before him, Bersin praised Mexican
President Felipe Calderon for his persistent efforts to root out
corruption and challenge cartel control of government systems. Bersin
said Mexico is transforming from "a soft dictatorship to a democracy."

"It's not now time to retreat," Bersin said. "It's not now time to
think this was a mistake for this decision to be made."

Bersin said officials in both countries must work together to "build a
binational region in the 21st Century."