GARCIA LUNA TESTIFIES BEFORE CONGRESS

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 MEXICO 000081 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 2020/01/26 TAGS: PREL PGOV PINR MX SUBJECT: GARCIA LUNA TESTIFIES BEFORE CONGRESS REF: 10 MEXICO 53 CLASSIFIED BY: Gustavo Delgado, Political Minister Counselor; REASON: 1.4(B),(D) ¶1. (C) Summary. Public Security Secretary Garcia Luna appeared before Congress on January 21 to discuss Mexico's security situation and the country's struggle with escalating rates of narco-related violence. Garcia Luna reiterated his call for police reorganization, sought to deflect some of the blame for security woes from the federal government, and tried to put a positive spin on crime statistics. Despite some criticism from the opposition, Garcia Luna's hearing was far less tense than his last appearance in September. Nevertheless, the security debate will assume a more heated tone come the next legislative session and as the state electoral contests draw closer. End Summary. Summoned to Speak -------------- ¶2. (SBU) Public Security Secretary (SSP) Genaro Garcia Luna testified before the Permanent Commission on Government, Constitutional Points, and Justice on January 21 after being summoned by the Permanent Committee earlier this month to explain Mexico's escalating rates of violence. The Committee - which holds session while Congress is adjourned until February 1 - requested Garcia Luna speak to the current state of the country's security situation. It also asked that the Secretary of the Navy, Mariano Francisco Saynez, appear to explain the Navy's actions during the December 16 operation against cartel capo Arturo Beltran Leyva. ¶3. (SBU) Garcia Luna's testimony came on the heels of President Calderon's announcement that the SSP's Federal Police will replace the military as the primary security player in Ciudad Juarez, which set off a volley of criticism from Calderon's detractors and some supporters alike that the GOM's broader security strategy has failed. Indeed, 2009 set new record levels of narcotics-related violence, including a dramatic increase in Ciudad Juarez homicide rates from 130 executions in 2006, 148 in 2007, 652 in 2008, to well over 2000 in 2009, according to statistics from respected Mexico City daily, "Reforma." Nevertheless, local press described Garcia Luna's hearing as more congenial and "light" than his September 24 congressional appearance, in which legislators repeatedly called for his resignation and accused him of being a "murderer" for civilian deaths during law enforcement operations. Defense of GOM Strategy: It's Old News -------------- -------------- ¶4. (SBU) The Public Security Secretary's testimony focused on a number of key issues, some of which were repeats from his September 24 appearance and other public discussions. Garcia Luna highlighted GOM security accomplishments and defended the administration's strategy, reporting that between December 1, 2006 and December 31, 2009, the GOM had made some 99,115 narcotics-related arrests. He did not, however, indicate how many of those arrested had been tried or even formally charged with a crime, an omission that has been the standard from him and other GOM officials. He also underscored efforts to improve the Mexico's intelligence apparatus, including the Federal Police's own work to modernize and inaugurate a technologically up-to-date Intelligence Center. Adding Context, Casting Blame -------------- ¶5. (SBU) Garcia Luna repeated many themes the GOM has presented before in other venues. He sought to place Mexico's security woes in a broader context, arguing that the 2009 homicide rate, 14.7 for every 100,000 inhabitants, is actually lower than the 1999 figure. He noted that the 2009 rate makes Mexico safer than a number of other countries, including Russia, Brazil, Colombia, and El Salvador. The security czar also looked to divert some of the blame from the federal government to state and local leaders, and argued that 93 percent of all crimes committed in Mexico are those that fall under state or municipal authorities, while only 7 percent are of federal responsibility. Additionally, Garcia Luna claimed that an increase in domestic drug consumption - up to 4.7 million consumers in Mexico, including 1.7 users of cocaine and 3 million marijuana - is to blame for escalating crime rates since a larger local market offers fertile ground for organized criminal groups. Finally, Garcia Luna noted that a "historic" absence in institutional investment in public security (meaning by past administrations) had created large spaces of impunity easily exploited by criminal groups. Proposals -------------- ¶6. (SBU) By way of concrete proposals, Garcia Luna suggested addressing the state and local crime problem by reiterating his call to reorganize Mexico's police by eliminating municipal corporations in favor of 31 state-led forces (reftel). Speaking in general terms, he also told his congressional audience that Mexico must create a legal framework to guarantee the strengthening of security institutions, protect systems containing information on criminal information, institutionalize the police force throughout the country, and revitalize a civic culture of respect. Garcia Luna said the federal government will continue to use the military in a frontal attack against drug trafficking organizations, and called the Army a "bulwark" in counternarcotics operations. Congressional Response -------------- ¶7. (SBU) Despite the hearing's more affable mood, legislators prodded Garcia Luna on several topics. Worker Party (PT) Senator Ricardo Monreal said that the positive figures quoted by the SSP chief were "tricks," and the PRI bloc warned they might even be false. According to press reports, Garcia Luna evaded tougher questions on progress made against money laundering and in using recently approved asset forfeiture legislation. Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) Senator Ricardo Fidel Pacheco argued that it is difficult to believe in Garcia Luna's vision of improvements when the public holds the opposite perception. Revolutionary Democratic Party (PRD) and PT legislators also agreed that the Secretary's distinction between federal, state, and local level crimes is a means of politicizing the problem. What is needed instead, they claimed, is a shared vision of Mexico that goes beyond one government and its party. Comment -------------- ¶8. (C) Despite some criticism from opposition sectors, Garcia Luna's testimony seems a far cry from his experience in September. Garcia Luna (and the GOM) is far from invulnerable to rhetorical attack: several of his key points were repeats of past messages; end-of-year narco-violence numbers set new records; and the partial replacement of the military with the Federal Police in Ciudad Juarez is being billed as a defeat of Calderon's security strategy. He and the GOM are, however, coming off of recent counternarcotics victories that may have temporarily taken some of the wind from the opposition's sails. Nevertheless, when Congress again convenes on February 1 and parties gear up for a series of gubernatorial contests, the speechifying will undoubtedly again assume a far more testy tone. FEELEY