Latest news with #security agreement
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Mexican president denies deal to target drug cartels in place with US
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum on Tuesday denied that her government has any agreement with Washington on a bilateral project to dismantle drug cartels. On Monday, the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) announced a "bold bilateral initiative" with Mexico to fight drug cartels, an operation initiative named "Project Portero." However, Sheinbaum said that Mexico had not been consulted on the matter. "The DEA issued this statement, we don't know on what basis," Sheinbaum said during her daily press briefing. "We have not reached any agreement, there is no deal between our security institutions and the DEA." Sheinbaum added that Mexico's Foreign Ministry and the US State Department had been working for months on a security agreement that is "about to be signed." "This deal is fundamentally based on sovereignty, mutual trust, and territorial respect ... and coordination without subordination," she said, adding that the only other ongoing bilateral security activity was a group of Mexican police officers attending a workshop in Texas. "That is all there is. There is nothing else," the president continued, adding: "We do not know why they issued this statement." "The only thing we will always ask for is respect. Always. If you are going to report something related to Mexico that is part of the security issue, we ask that it be done within the framework of the collaboration we have." In its statement, the DEA said Project Portero would target drug cartel operatives who control the smuggling corridors along the US south-western border by bringing together Mexican investigators and US authorities. "Project Portero and this new training program show how we will fight - by planning and operating side by side with our Mexican partners, and by bringing the full strength of the U.S. government to bear," said DEA Administrator Terrance Cole in the statement, calling the project "a bold first step in a new era of cross-border enforcement." Sheinbaum's rebuttal comes after a positive exchange in late July, when US President Donald Trump delayed higher tariffs on Mexican goods. In addition to tariffs, Trump and Sheinbaum have been clashing on cross-border migration from Mexico into the United States and Trump's attempts to stop the flow of the opioid fentanyl into the US. Sheinbaum in recent months has agreed to extradite dozens of high-profile drug-trafficking suspects to the US. Solve the daily Crossword
ABC News
11-08-2025
- Business
- ABC News
Australia and Vanuatu close to signing Nakamal Agreement worth $500m
Australia and Vanuatu are close to signing an "ambitious" new strategic pact that will see the federal government plough about half a billion dollars into the Pacific island country over the next decade. Vanuatu's Council of Ministers is widely expected to endorse the Nakamal Agreement later today after months of negotiations between the two countries. Foreign Minister Penny Wong, Defence Minister Richard Marles and Pacific Minister Pat Conroy will then join Vanuatu's Prime Minister Jotham Napat and other senior leaders on the island of Tanna tomorrow to give their initial agreement to the pact, ahead of a formal signing next month. Mr Napat's office said in a statement the development and security agreement would "cover a wide range of bilateral issues, including infrastructure planning, economic development, and climate resilience initiatives in light of the devastating December 17 earthquake of 2024". "The partnership between Vanuatu and Australia remains strong, especially as Vanuatu continues its recovery efforts," it said. One Australian government source said Vanuatu had driven "quite a hard bargain", but insisted the pact would boost Vanuatu's development while buttressing Australia's strategic position in the country — which is also being energetically courted by China. Under the pact, Australia is expected to make substantial commitments worth up to $500 million over a decade — or $50 million a year. For example, Australia would provide approximately $120 million to help Vanuatu deliver its plan to build two "large data centres" in both Port Vila and Santo. Australia is also expected to deliver around $100 million in security assistance and budget support worth $55 million, and more than $110 million to help Vanuatu deal with the impacts of climate change. The federal government is also expected to make smaller financial contributions to boosting labour mobility, fostering cultural connections and improving digital connectivity. But several details in the agreement remain under wraps. For example, it is not yet clear whether Australia will offer any concessions to Vanuatu on travel and migration, which is an issue likely to be closely watched by other Pacific nations. Last month Mr Napat declared he would not sign the Nakamal Agreement unless Australia agreed to offer "visa-free" travel to his country, saying the pact had to be "win-win" for both countries. Successive Australian governments have been unwilling to relax visa and travel rules for Pacific nationals, partly due to fears a large proportion would remain in Australia illegally. Relaxing travel restrictions for the Pacific could also be politically contentious. Australian officials have previously raised deep concerns about Vanuatu's contentious "Citizenship By Investment" scheme — sometimes called the Golden Passport program — which critics say has drawn oligarchs and criminals seeking to evade foreign law enforcement. It is not yet clear what commitments Vanuatu has made to Australia on the security front. The Pacific island nations of Tuvalu and Nauru have effectively handed Australia the right to veto security agreements with third nations under sweeping treaties they signed with Canberra in 2023 and 2024 respectively. But Vanuatu has long maintained a fierce commitment to non-alignment — or "friends to all, enemies to none" — and is very unlikely to make a similar commitment to Australia. In 2022, Vanuatu's then-Prime Minister Ishmael Kalsakau signed a contentious security agreement with Ms Wong that labelled Australia as Vanuatu's "principal security partner" and said both countries would "consult" with each other on any "common security interests." But Mr Kalsakau's cabinet rebelled in the wake of that agreement, accusing the prime minister of going above the heads of his ministers and parliament — and the security agreement was never ratified by either Australia or Vanuatu. The statement from Mr Napat's office suggested the Nakamal Agreement will supersede the 2022 security pact. "It is important to note that a security agreement signed in late 2022 between Australia and the former Government of then Prime Minister Ishmael Kalsakau was never approved by COM, let alone parliament!" it said. A spokesperson for the Foreign Minister Penny Wong said discussions on the Nakamal Agreement were "progressing" but "there is still work to do on both sides." "We look forward to continuing our constructive conversations on the ground as we work towards reaching an agreement that delivers shared objectives," they said. "Our visit to Vanuatu highlights the respect, shared values, and cultural and religious connections that are the platform for deepening the partnership between our countries." "As we have shown through our Pacific partnerships, Australia is open to ambitious agreements where they advance the prosperity and security of our region."
