GUATEMALA CITY — Demand for illegal narcotics in the United States is fueling drug violence in Central America, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said Friday, acknowledging a measure of U.S. responsibility for what she called a “terrible criminal scourge.”
“The United States under the Obama administration recognizes and accepts its share of responsibility for the problems posed by drug trafficking in this region,” she said ahead of talks in the Guatemalan capital.
“The demand in the large market in the United States drives the drug trade,” she said. “We know that we are part of the problem, and that is an admission that we have been willing make this past year.”
Clinton made the same admission last year on a trip to Mexico, which was then beginning major military operations against drug cartels. At the time, her comments drew fierce criticism from U.S. conservatives who said she was unfairly blaming the United States for the situation overseas.
Clinton was in Guatemala for a meeting with leaders and senior officials from eight Central American nations at which she also urged recognition of the new, post-coup government of Honduras.
She did not announce any new programs or specific additional assistance but vowed to work with Central American states to help them as gangs and traffickers target the region to escape from major security operations in Mexico and Colombia.
