VZCZCXYZ0000
PP RUEHWEB

DE RUEHME #0414/01 0291320
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 291320Z JAN 07
FM AMEMBASSY MEXICO
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 5121
INFO RHMFIUU/HQ USNORTHCOM
RHMFIUU/CDR USSOUTHCOM MIAMI FL
RUEHRC/DEPT OF AGRICULTURE WASHDC
RUCPDOC/DEPT OF COMMERCE WASHDC
RUEAHLA/DEPT OF HOMELAND SECURITY
RUEAWJA/DEPT OF JUSTICE WASHDC
RUEATRS/DEPT OF TREASURY WASHDC
RUEHC/DEPT OF LABOR WASHDC
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC

UNCLAS MEXICO 000414 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PINR PREL ECON EFIN MX
SUBJECT: MEXICAN REACTION TO EXTRADITIONS MUTED; 
RECIPROCITY EXPECTED 
 
REF: MEXICO 00375 
 
¶1.  (SBU) Summary.  Mexican reaction to the recent, 
unprecedented extradition of 15 wanted criminals to the U.S. 
has been muted.  Although such massive extraditions 
predictably triggered isolated complaints from the opposition 
that the move violated Mexico's "national sovereignty," such 
complaints received little traction in the media.  Nor have 
scattered opposition complaints that the extraditions failed 
to comply with Mexican law resonated, even if there have been 
calls for reciprocity or other concessions from the USG in 
return for the GOMs expanded law enforcement cooperation.  We 
attribute the scant public response to the extraditions to 
the public's concern about insecurity and its generally 
strong support for Calderon's anti-crime measures.  End 
Summary. 
 
Muted Reaction 
-------------- 
 
¶2.  (SBU) Mexican reaction to the unprecedented extradition 
of 15 wanted criminals -- including 11 suspected 
drug-traffickers and 4 violent criminals -- was largely 
muted.  Scattered criticism of the extraditions by opposition 
politicians received relatively little public attention, and 
some in the opposition even lauded the action.  Mexico City 
Mayor Marcelo Ebrard (PRD), for example, praised the 
extraditions as "necessary and correct."  Other opposition 
leaders, including PRI Senator Alejandro Moreno, have 
expressed their conditional support, provided the 
extraditions are carried out in full compliance with Mexican 
law.  Many however, including in the PAN, are calling for 
reciprocity from the U.S.  Some have suggested that the USG 
is now obligated to take actions to lower domestic drug 
demand or offer the GOM a generous political reward, for 
example, in the area of immigration reform. 
 
A strategy to win popular support 
--------------------------------- 
 
¶3.  (SBU) Although the public response to the extraditions 
was muted, some Mexican opposition lawmakers, such as PRD 
Chamber of Deputies Coordinator Javier Gonzalez Garza, have 
characterized the move as a "popularity booster" designed to 
divert Mexicans' attention away from the rising prices of 
staple goods.  Likewise, the Presidents of the Chamber of 
Deputies' Justice and Security Commissions, Cesar Camacho 
Quiroz (PRI) and Rodrigo Medina de la Cruz (PRI), 
respectively, both voiced suspicions that the extradition 
package was a "flashy" means of scoring points with the 
public. 
 
Distraction from failures 
------------------------- 
 
¶4.  (SBU) Along the same lines of criticism, some political 
analysts have speculated that the decision is a strategy 
designed to add momentum to the GOM's counter-narcotics 
military offensive in Michoacan, Tijuana, and Guerrero, and 
justify the recent expansion of the operation into Chihuahua, 
Durango, and Sinaloa.  They see the huge offensive as less 
than fully sucessful, having delivered relatively little in 
the way of arrests or drug seizures, and believe the GOM may 
have ordered the extraditions in order to give the impression 
of concrete achievements in the war on drugs. 
 
Legal criticisms 
---------------- 
 
¶5.  (SBU) Some critics have characterized the extraditions as 
a policy change which may violate Mexican law and/or national 
sovereignty.  Senators Leonel Godoy (PRD) and Alejandro 
Moreno Cardenas (PRI), and Federal Deputies Gerardo Vargas 
Landeros (PRI), Armando Barreiro Perez (PRD), and Humberto 
Zazueta Aguilar (PRD), all criticized the extraditions as 
being legally deficient.  Extradition specialist Americo 
Delgado described the extraditions as "expulsions" in 
violation of the the Mexican Constitution and the 1997 
U.S.-Mexico extradition treaty (see reftel).   Opposition 
legislators have summoned Secretary of Public Security Garcia 
Luna and Attorney General Medina Mora to testify on their 
actions. 
 
 
Comment 
------- 
 
¶6. (SBU) While we are not surprised that some in the 
opposition would seek to exploit every possible opportunity 
to score political points, we believe their scattered 
criticisms of the extraditions have not resonated because of 
the intensity of public concern about insecurity.  A poll 
conducted by leading newspaper El Universal earlier this week 
indicated that 74% of the public supports Calderon's military 
counter-narcotics offensive.  As a result, notwithstanding 
the opposition's muted criticisms, opposition parties have 
been cautious not to make too much fuss over the 
extraditions, for fear of being seen as defending criminal 
interests.  In our view, the extradition package represents a 
deft political move from Calderon. 
 
 
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