- Title: Trump, Lopez Obrador agree to take action to freeze flow of weapons to Mexico
- Date: 19th October 2019
- Summary: NOCHIXTLAN, OAXACA, MEXICO (OCTOBER 19, 2019) (REUTERS) MEXICAN PRESIDENT, ANDRES MANUEL LOPEZ OBRADOR, ON STAGE AT A RALLY WIDE OF RALLY AUDIENCE LISTENING AS LOPEZ OBRADOR SPEAKS (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) MEXICAN PRESIDENT, ANDRES MANUEL LOPEZ OBRADOR, SAYING: "We will always respect the lives of all human beings. And peace can be achieved this way. I presented it like this today, before leaving Oaxaca (City), President Donald Trump spoke." PEOPLE LISTENING (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) MEXICAN PRESIDENT, ANDRES MANUEL LOPEZ OBRADOR, SAYING: "And I thanked him (Trump) for the gesture of speaking. But at the same time, I explained to him that many lives were at risk." (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) MEXICAN FOREIGN MINISTER, MARCELO EBRARD, SAYING: "President Lopez Obrador thanked him very much for the call, especially for the respectful tone and show of solidarity with Mexico, and he explained that Mexico's biggest concern are the weapons. The weapons that we saw in Culiacan which are truly impressive. They are .50 caliber guns that can easily penetrate pretty much any bulletproofing, including cement. They can destroy at an incredible velocity and from a long range and this is one of the major factors of what happened in Culiacan. And so, Mexico had already proposed, the president (Lopez Obrador) said, and we're already working on it, but what I want to tell you is that if both countries (the United States and Mexico) use technology we can stop at the border and freeze arms trafficking which is causing issues in Mexico like we've just seen." EBRARD LEAVING CULIACAN, SINALOA, MEXICO (OCTOBER 17, 2019) (REUTERS) VIEW OF THE CITY OF CULIACAN AS GUNFIRE IS HEARD CARTEL GUNMEN CARRYING WEAPONS, WALKING ON STREET TRUCK BURNING AS GUNFIRE HEARD CARTEL GUNMEN BOARDING TRUCK TRUCK ON FIRE AS CARTEL GUNMEN IN VEHICLE CONVOY LEAVE AREA / SHOTS RINGING OUT BUS IN FLAMES CAR ENGULFED IN FLAMES
- Embargoed: 2nd November 2019 21:15
- Keywords: Mexico violence Sinaloa Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador illegal weapons border trafficking arms
- Location: NOCHIXTLAN, OAXACA; AND CULIACAN, SINALOA, MEXICO
- City: NOCHIXTLAN, OAXACA; AND CULIACAN, SINALOA, MEXICO
- Country: Mexico
- Topics: Diplomacy/Foreign Policy,Government/Politics
- Reuters ID: LVA001B1RJLTZ
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Mexico's foreign minister said on Saturday (October 19) that President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador and his U.S. counterpart Donald Trump had agreed to take swift action to stem the flow of illegal weapons from the United States into Mexico.
Lopez Obrador told Trump on a phone call "I want to propose to you that both our countries use technology to close the border, to freeze the traffic of arms that is killing people in Mexico," Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard told reporters.
Lopez Obrador told Trump "he was very concerned" that gang members were using .50 caliber, armor-piercing rifles during the breakout of violence in the northwestern city of Culiacan after Mexican authorities attempted to arrest Ovidio Guzman, one of jailed drug lord Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman's dozen or so children.
The two leaders agreed that U.S. and Mexican officials would meet in the next few days to discuss options, and would announce actions to "freeze" illegal imports of weapons into Mexico through U.S. border crossings.
The discussion came in the wake of the bungled arrest attempt.
There was no immediate comment from U.S. authorities.
(Production: Jesus Bustamante, Jose Cortes, Manuel Carrillo) - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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