:quality(85)//cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/infobae/3RYFRT6QGVDEXJ6GO3VA4OYLXY.jpg "Ebrard and Blinken spoke by phone to discuss the Matamoros affair and cooperation on security issues 1")
United States Secretary of State, Anthony Blinkand the Chancellor of Mexico, Marcelo Ebrardheld a phone conversation to discuss security cooperation, amid tensions between the two countries over the killing of two Americans in Matamoros, Tamaulipas.
The call took place on Monday, while Ebrard was in Washington to meet with the 52 Mexican consuls in the United States to launch a campaign in “defendof the country in response to the request of some Republicans to intervene militarily in Mexico to fight against the drug cartels.
“I had a telephone conversation with Secretary Antony Blinken in preparation for the upcoming Bicentennial Accord meeting to be held in Washington, DC. Main subject of cooperation against fentanyl and weapons between the two countries,” Ebrard wrote on his Twitter account.
The State Department reported in a statement that Blinken and Ebrard discussed the alleged kidnapping by the Gulf Cartel of four Americans in Matamoros, two of whom were killed and the other two saved alive.
They also triedsecurity cooperation between the United States and Mexicoto dismantle networks of precursor chemicals used to manufacture the potentially deadly drug fentanyl.
Additionally, they discussed last week’s visit to Mexico by White House National Security Advisor Elizabeth Sherwood-Randall to “disrupt the supply chain of synthetic drugs and reduce the risk of drug use”.
“The Secretary Reaffirmed the United States’ Commitment to Supporting Our Mexican Partners and Protecting Our Citizens from Criminal Networks“, details the press release.
Tensions have risen between the United States and Mexico following the broad daylight kidnapping of four Americans, two of whom were murdered, that they had traveled to Tamaulipas presumably for a cosmetic operation and were apparently mistakenly attacked by the Gulf Cartel.
The Republican opposition has called for the Mexican cartels to be declared terrorists and has proposed military intervention in Mexican territory, which the White House ruled out but which angered Mexico’s President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, who called the Republicans of “scoundrels“e”interventionists”.
“We’re going to stand up for our sovereignty and President (Joe) Biden doesn’t have that position, it’s these Republican lawmakers, And if they continue to offend Mexico, we will continue to denounce them and we will ask our compatriots not to vote for them.“, remarked the Mexican president.
Regarding the case of the kidnapped Americans, he announced that the Attorney General’s Office (FGR) will take the case.
“It has been learned that they have a criminal record in the United States and the investigation is already being carried out in depth“, he mentioned.
A total of six people were captured in the case of the four US citizens who were kidnapped (two of whom were found dead) in Matamoros. In addition, two long guns and one short were seized.
On the night of March 8, they were abandoned five people accompanied by a message signed by the criminal group Gulf Cartel in which it was stated that the men would be responsible for the kidnapping and death of the Americans
“The Gulf Cartel, Scorpions groupstrongly condemns the events of Friday March 3, where sadly an innocent working mother died and 4 US citizens were abducted, 2 of whom died, for him we have decided to deliver to those concerned and directly responsible for the facts, who acted at all times with their own determination and lack of discipline”.
In the text the criminal group also “excuse“with the inhabitants of Matamoros, the relatives of Mrs. Arely (Mexican deceased in the incident) and affected American families.