( dpa )- The United States and Mexico will have to share responsibility to combat organized crime and the influx of drugs into the US, the country's top crime officials said Wednesday.
US Attorney General Michael Mukasey met with Mexican President Felipe Calderon and with Mexican Attorney General Eduardo Medina Mora on Wednesday in Mexico City, to discuss among other issues the fight against organized crime.
Mukasey and Medina Mora underlined the need for a shared vision and innovative strategies in the fight against drug trafficking in a joint press conference.
Last year, the White House asked the US Congress for 500 million dollars to help Mexico fight drug crime as part of the Merida Initiative, a multi-annual 1.4-billion-dollar programme for Central America that has yet to be approved by US legislators.
Mukasey also promised to help stem the flow of illegal firearms from the United States into Mexico, acknowledging that securing the border was "a two-way street."
"Both of our countries have seen too much violence committed by criminals who exploit our border," Mukasey said. "We know that neither of us can solve this problem alone."
Medina Mora said the Mexican government's efforts were acknowledged in the meeting, and in particular "the significant increase in the price of drugs like cocaine and methamphetamines, as well as the decrease in their purity, on the streets of the United States and Mexico."
Other topics discussed include extradition, legal cooperation and the illegal traffic of human beings.
"We agree that shared responsibility and mutual trust are the principles that have to guide cooperation," said Medina Mora.
Mukasey also met privately with President Calderon in the presidential residence Los Pinos .