VZCZCXRO5997
PP RUEHCD RUEHGD RUEHHO RUEHMC RUEHNG RUEHNL RUEHRD RUEHRS RUEHTM
DE RUEHME #3208/01 3161346
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 121346Z NOV 09
FM AMEMBASSY MEXICO
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 8986
INFO RUEHXC/ALL US CONSULATES IN MEXICO COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEHGV/USMISSION GENEVA PRIORITY 1169
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK PRIORITY 0372
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
RUEHME/USMLO MEXICO CITY MX PRIORITY
RHEHAAA/NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
RUEHME/USDAO MEXICO CITY MX PRIORITY

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 MEXICO 003208 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL PGOV PHUM PINR SNAR MX
SUBJECT: MEXICO: SAN PEDRO MAYOR DISAVOWS VIGILANTISM 
 
REF: A. MONTERREY 0412 
     ¶B. MONTERREY 0379 
     ¶C. MONTERREY 0344 
 
¶1. (SBU) Summary:  Mauricio Fernandez Garza, newly elected 
mayor in the Monterrey municipality of San Pedro, recently 
implicated himself in possible extralegal activities when he 
made public statements concerning the killing of suspected 
narco-traffickers several hours before their bodies were 
discovered in Mexico City (ref. A).  The Mayor's repeated 
public support for extralegal means of combatting organized 
crime has struck a chord with some elements of the public 
frustrated with violent crime.  The Mexican political 
establishment, including President Calderon and the Governor 
of Nuevo Leon, Rodrigo Medina, have roundly criticized 
Fernandez and publicly pledged their strong support for the 
rule of law; Medina reassured the Ambassador on November 10 
that the state government had strong backing from federal 
authorities to take concrete steps against vigilantism. 
Given vague assurances from Mexico's Federal Prosecutor's 
Office (PGR) and information from our NGO and press sources, 
an official investigation may be slow to develop, given 
Fernandez' ties to PAN party leadership.  Nonetheless, GOM 
condemnation has been swift and harsh and could serve as a 
warning to others in government or the private sector that 
the Calderon Administration will not go the way of tacit 
approval of vigilantism.  End Summary. 
 
¶2. (SBU) Fernandez, the Mayor of San Pedro, a wealthy suburb 
of Monterrey, barely retreated in recent days from earlier 
comments he had made describing his support for extralegal 
measures to combat organized crime (ref. A).  Fernandez has 
gained national attention, and some public support, by 
characterizing Mexico's laws as obsolete and accusing state 
and federal officials of inaction in the face of violent 
crime threatening the state.  He has referred to a "bad-boy 
squad" who are well trained and know how to deal with 
kidnappers, narco-traffickers, and other criminals.  Under 
intense pressure from opposition leaders, human rights 
organizations, and leaders of his own party, including 
President Felipe Calderon, Fernandez has since clarified that 
he would employ such a group only in the event he had no 
other choice.  He also asserted that taking such a measure 
would not necessarily constitute a violation of law. 
 
¶3. (SBU) His defense against those questioning how he knew 
about the killings of the Saldana brothers before their 
bodies were even discovered has been unpersuasive and ever 
shifting.  His excuses include:  that he heard it from an 
anonymous tip, that he got it from intel sources, that he 
guessed, and that he got the information from contacts with 
the U.S. Consulate General in Monterrey.  (Note: Reftels are 
very clear about our conversations with Fernandez and his 
questionable ties to certain groups.  Characteristic of 
Fernandez' dishonest politicking, he tried to cover his lies 
with a half truth:  he told a local radio station that, not 
only had he received information about threats against him 
from the Consulate (true), but also that the Consulate had 
provided his staff with an intercept about Saldanas' death 
(not true).  As we reported in Ref. A, Consulate General 
Monterrey learned of the Saldanas' killings from one of 
Fernandez' advisors a full day before the bodies were 
discovered in Mexico City.  End Note.) 
 
¶4. (SBU) In his November 10 meetings with the Ambassador in 
Monterrey, Governor Medina said that he had made repeated 
public statements rejecting Fernandez' comments and upholding 
the rule of law.  He said he had spoken to President Calderon 
the day before and that he had the full backing of the 
Federal Government:  both were in agreement that Mexico would 
not go down the path of vigilantism.  President Calderon 
affirmed his commitment in a widely-publicized November 10 
business summit in Monterrey with a strong statement that his 
government would combat crime only by legal means, in full 
accordance with accepted human rights standards that are the 
basis for the rule of law.  Medina told the Ambassador and CG 
Monterrey that he was personally committed to combating 
vigilantism and that he would work closely with state and 
federal authorities in monitoring this issue. 
 
¶5. (SBU) NGO sources and press editorials have also strongly 
condemned Fernandez, and called on the government to 
investigate his ties to the Saldana killings.  The director 
of an umbrella organization for some 65 human rights NGOs 
 
MEXICO 00003208  002 OF 002 
 
 
said Fernandez' comments demonstrated an obvious disregard 
for the rule of law and reinforced his impression of the 
Mayor's ties to organized crime.  Fernandez was playing a 
dangerous game with public sentiment and was only encouraging 
a number of citizen groups that had embraced extralegal 
measures out of frustration with the inability of federal, 
state and local authorities in their own municipalities to 
tackle effectively crime in their neighborhoods. 
¶6. (SBU) Fernandez' critics have called for a thorough 
investigation of what he knew, when he knew it, and his 
possible involvement in the Saldana killings.  PGR sources in 
the capital told us they would have to "check with the local 
office in Nuevo Leon" on the status of the investigation. 
Our NGO sources evinced skeptism that there would be any 
serious investigation of Fernandez, given his ties to the 
President's PAN party and his influential contacts in Nuevo 
Leon. 
 
¶7. (SBU) Comment:  Fernandez' support for vigilantism and his 
self-implication in the recent execution style killings of 
known organized crime henchmen will only complicate the 
government's legitimate efforts against organized crime. 
Given the misguided sentiment of many throughout Mexico who 
suggest vigilantism as an option, the spate of kidnappings 
that have terrorized Monterrey's elite, and the Mayor's rich 
and powerful constituent base, the swift and harsh public 
condemnation by Calderon (PAN) and Medina (PRI) is 
encouraging.  That said, the strongest response will be the 
toughest one for the Calderon government:  an energetic and 
transparent investigation of Fernandez, his possible links to 
organized crime, and his implication in the execution style 
killing of the Saldana brothers.  We will look to raise the 
issue with senior Mexican legal authorities.  End Comment. 
 
Visit Mexico City's Classified Web Site at 
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/wha/mexicocity and the North American 
Partnership Blog at http://www.intelink.gov/communities/state/nap / 
PASCUAL