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Photo Credit: Prensa Grafica
Original Article Text From Prensa Grafica via Google Translate :
Guatemala President Makes Four Paths To Combat Drug Trafficking
The meeting was attended by the presidents of Costa Rica , Laura Chinchilla, and Panama, Ricardo Martinelli, in addition to host Perez. The presidents of El Salvador , Honduras and Nicaragua declined to attend but sent representatives.
During the meeting, the Guatemalan president stated that there is a range of options. noted that the first track is a hardening frontal combat against drug traffickers, while a second option would create a regional Criminal Court with jurisdiction to prosecute the criminals involved in drug transfer. The third proposal is to decriminalize the transition from drug and the fourth is that consumer countries recognize at least half the value of narcotics seized in Central American nations.
Chinchilla President said his country is ready to “move forward” in finding solutions. For his part, President of Panama, Ricardo Martinelli, requested proposals to socialize all the sectors of societies in the region to hear different views.
After meeting at a hotel in the colonial city, the leaders were taken to the old Palace of the Captains, recently restored, where they greeted hundreds of people gathered in the park and then planned to offer a news conference.
Before the meeting of presidents, was the presentation of expert international , who made their case on the situation of the fight against drug s in the region and representing the decriminalization as part of the strategy. One of the speakers was former President of Colombia César Gaviria, who supported the idea of opening a discussion on alternatives to combat drug trafficking since warned that U.S. policy in Central America is no longer functional.
There were presentations of Substance Abuse counselor of the Pan American Health Organization, Luis Alfonzo, and Carter Center representative, Luz del Socorro Ramirez. President of Nicaragua, Daniel Ortega, had said during the week that his country ruled join any initiative for the decriminalization of drug s. During a meeting with Salvadoran Foreign Minister Hugo Martinez, last Wednesday, Ortega said that “there is no reason” to pass the initiative in Guatemala, “either in terms of combating international drug trafficking or cultural terms. ”
The president of El Salvador , Mauricio Funes, declined to attend the same Friday night. The same occurred with the president of Honduras , Porfirio Lobo. Faced with a version that emerged in El Salvador on alleged cancellation of the summit, the presidency of Guatemala should clarify on Friday night that the appointment was valid and dismissed the alleged suspension of the activity .
