Mexico “Leader” Says U.S. Shares Blame For Drug Violence

Outgoing Mexican President Felipe Calderon blamed loose US gun laws and American addicts for fueling his country’s drug violence as he defended his controversial anti-cartel offensive on Monday.

Presenting the final annual report of his presidency, Calderon insisted that his 2006 decision to deploy thousands of troops to round up drug traffickers was not to blame for the relentless crime wave plaguing the country.

The conservative leader, whose single six-year term ends December 1, said the wave of murders and kidnappings was linked to brutal turf wars being waged between Mexico’s ultra-violent drug cartels.

But he also pointed his finger at the United States, saying criminals were able to arm themselves with powerful guns after Washington lawmakers refused to renew a law banning the sale of assault weapons such as AK-47 rifles in 2004.

The United States, he said, “is co-responsible for this grave problem because they are the consumers, they are the providers of funds and they are the providers of weapons.”-[source]