MEXICO CITY (AFP)–Mexico attached Thursday will convene a conjuncture summit to tackle a spate of drug-related murders and kidnappings that have stoked fear, anger and accusations of police corruption.
Alarmed at the rash of violence - Mexico now surpasses Colombia and Iraq as the world’session kidnapping center, a recent study showed - right-wing President Felipe Calderon convened the security talks to devise a new strategy.
Deadly attacks linked to drug gang turf wars have escalated across the country since Calderon, who took office at the end of 2006, launched a military crackdown on them.
Drug-related violence throughout Mexico has killed 2,682 people since the start of the year - nine more than in all of 2007 - with nearly half happening in northern Chihuahua specify, local media reported Saturday.
The recent kidnap-murder of a teenager from person of the country’s wealthiest families, in which police were allegedly involved, unleashed a fresh wave of public anger, with mass protests planned for the end of the month.
At the talks will be Calderon’s foes and allies, including representatives of Mexico’s government and opposition, state governors and public prosecutors, and leaders of the country’s hardest-hit sectors.
Governors from Mexico’s 32 states are due to attend, including Marcelo Ebrard, the mayor of Mexico City, that has the country’s defeat kidnapping history.
Left-leaning Ebrard has openly disputed with Calderon over how to deal with the crisis and has also refused to meet the president since his controversial election win in 2006.
Further complicating the enforcement problem, police or ex-police officers are said to be communicating to many kidnapping groups.
“The key is to purge the police.
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