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Obama to seek ratification of arms treaty
Associated Press
Issue date: 4/16/09 Section: News
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After a meeting with Mexican President Felipe Calderon, Obama planned to announce he would support an inter-American weapons treaty meant to take on the bloody drug trade. Officials described the plan on the condition of anonymity so they wouldn't pre-empt the announcement.
The regional treaty, adopted by the Organization of American States, was signed by former President Bill Clinton in 1997 but never ratified by the U.S. Senate. Officials said Obama would push lawmakers to act on it - an opening gesture for meetings that also would include discussion of the economic crisis and possibly clean energy.
Among the other touchy points are disagreement over a lapsed U.S. assault weapons ban, a standoff over cross-border trucking, and immigration.
Presidential spokesman Robert Gibbs said Obama also would tell Mexican officials that he has asked Congress to provide money for Black Hawk helicopters to help Mexico in its drug war.
The escalating drug fight in Mexico is spilling into the United States, and confronting Obama with an international crisis much closer than North Korea or Afghanistan. Mexico is the main hub for cocaine and other drugs entering the U.S., and the United States is the primary source of guns used in Mexico's drug-related killings.
Calderon's aggressive stand against drug cartels has won him the aid of the United States and the prominent political backing of Obama - never as evident as on Thursday, when the new president was to stand with Calderon in Mexico's capital city.
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