[Journalist] Two days ago, Mexicans went to the polls and elected a new president:
Enrique Peña Nieto, of the Institutional Revolutionary Party, or PRI.
Today, he sat down with our Margaret Warner in Mexico City
to discuss his plans to re-focus the drug war
and reform the Mexican Economy.
Here is that interview.
[Margaret Warner] Mr President Elect, thank you for having us.
[Enrique Peña Nieto] Muchissimas gracias
[Enrique Peña Nieto] Muchissimas gracias .. a Mejixo [overlap with Warner] Congratulations.
[Warner] Your closest rival in the race, Mr López Obrador,
last night once again rejected the results, said it was fraudulent,
said the PRI party had actually bought votes.
Have you had a chance to look into the substance of those charges?
[Nieto - dubbing] I believe that in our country, fortunately, we have democratic institutions
that are very solid and reliable.
We have electoral tribunals, which would be responsible
for addressing these issues and attending to these complaints,
the ones voiced by candidate López Obrador.
It was truly exemplary processes, where more than 50 million - over 50 million -
Mexicans participated, with a difference of more than 3.2 million votes.
[Warner] Do you think it cast any doubt on the legitimacy of your election?
[Nieto, d.] I don't have doubts in terms of the confidence of the majority I received.
[Warner] Now, in both the campaign and on election night, you promised
to reduce the violence that's plaguing the of ordinary Mexicans: 55'000 dead.
How are you going to do that?
Is it by focusing on the most violent cartels?
[Nieto d.] It's quite clear that the fight against organized crime
is something we cannot relinquish.
It is a task, an obligation for the Mexican Government.
My commitment is to lead this fight with efficiency and more results.
There are achievements made by the current federal administration,
and some institutions have been strenghthened.
We're going to need to adjust the strategy to achieve this major objective
in the fight on organized crime.
I'm talking about reducing violence.
I'm talking about a strategy that does not have the support of society.
If we don't have the support of society, we will hardly see the benefits
or the support we need to actually improve conditions of security for society.
[Warner] But How? I mean your advisors are talking about
reconcentrating the fire power you have - the military - on the most violent cartels.
[Nieto, d.] I will maintain the presence of the Mexican army, and the navy and police,
in the states of the Mexican Republic,
where the problem of crime has been increasing.
We will adjust the strategy, so that we can focus on certain types of crime,
like kidnapping, homicide, extortion, which today, unfortunately, have worsened or increased,
because we have a lot of impunity in some parts of the country.
The State's task is to achieve more efficiency
and to go back to the rule of law, and apply or enforce law strictly in our country.
[Warner] Is there a trade-off between going after the drug king-pins
who are responsible for most of the trafficking of drugs into the US,
and/or focusing on the violent cartels that are taking the lives of ordinary Mexicans?
Do you have to do less of one to do more of the other?
[Nieto, d.] Look, I believe that there is a concern around this issue, in terms of assuming
that this adjustment would mean not going after the cartels involved in drug trafficking.
No, absolutely not. I want to be very clear.
The fight by the government will be against organized crime,
drug trafficking, in all its forms and shapes.
But we have to focus especially on reducing violence.
But that doesn't mean we should overlook or relinquish this task by the State:
the fight against all forms of organized crime.
[Warner] Now, the President of Uruguay, just, I think, last week,
has proposed that in his country, sales of marijuana should be legalized and regulated by the government,
that interdiction just doesn't work.
At least take the money out of the market, the black market that the cartels are making so much off.
Is that something Mexico should consider?
[Nieto, d.] I have publicly said that I am against legalization of drugs.
I don't believe that this is the path to reduce violence in a legal trafficking of these products
However I am in favor of opening up a new debate around a strategy, and a way to fight drug trafficking.
It is very clear that after several years of this fight on drug trafficking,
we have more drug consumption, and drug use, and drug trafficking.
That means that we are not moving in the right direction.
Things are not working, and I'm not saying that we should legalize.
It's exactly the opposite: I'm against legalization.
But with a debate with countries in the hemisphere, and especially the US
should participate in this broad debate to redefine the way in which we fight drug trafficking.
[Warner] So, you'd like the US to also be considering its position on the legalization of drugs?
[Nieto, d.] I'm truly convinced that the US should be involved in a discussion
and a debate around this issue.
[Warner] So, let the debate begin, but you're not taking position yet?
[Nieto, d.] That's right.
[Warner] Now, how would you - the American officials are actually of the opnion that - to believe
that the US-Mexico relationship has been further strengthened over the past 6 years.
Is there anything about the relationship you'd like to change?
[Nieto, d] On the contrary, I'm in favor of strengthening
or improving relations with the US, without a doubt.
In my conversation with President Obama yesterday, when he called me to congratulate me,
he told me - and I fully agree with it - that we should maintain this level of collaboration
that has existed so far between the US and the Mexican government.
And I'm interested in improving that level of collaboration,
redefining the objectives of the bilateral agenda
and strengthening sovereignties, that - and the collaboration and respect round these issues
for both governments.
[Warner] Would you like the United States to assist in this ........ focus on the really violant cartels that just .....(?)
that is, also going after their customers in the United States?
[Nieto, d.] Well, I believe that the US has collaborated significantly with the current Mexican government.
My objective is to intensify this action and collaborate more,
especially when it comes to fighting these drug cartels and organized crime groups.
We need to have safer borders, but that also requires more collaboration from the US government
and an increased commitment to define policies and actions,
but together with the Mexican government, will allow us to achieve better results.
[Warner] Do you think it is practical to hope or expect or demand that the US do more
to stop the flow of, especially assault weapons, from the US to Mexico?
[Nieto, d.] This is an issue that has been surrounded by a high level of debate.
And we have been insisting on getting the US more involved in fighting the arms trafficking.
Unfortunately, it has had a major impact.
The problem has killed thousands of Mexicans, unfortunately
and it is an issue that without a doubt, is unsolved.
We have not seen a good level of efficiency by the US in terms of how to better control arms trafficking
- I'm talking about high caliber weapons - into our country.
[Warner] Finally, you have promised that you represent a new generation of the PRI.
You said you're going to have a new way of governing,
but voters here sounded dubious to us.
One Mexico City voter said:
"You can't take Peña Nieto out of the PRI bubble: he was elected with the help of this machine,
he's going to owe it."
What would you say to him?
[Nieto, d.] Look Margaret, first of all, whoever says that is not recognizing
the political change occurring in Mexico in recent years.
Mexico has a much more cohesive democracy today.
We're a plural, diverse country, with an equal participation of the different political forces.
My political party has been there for some time.
We are governing several Mexican states.
And with this new trust from the Mexican people, without a doubt,
our capacity to prove ourselves will be tested.
They will test this confidence through results, through achievements.
This will be the new face of the PRI, in a PRI governing democracy
[Warner] And some of your more ambitious ideas for the economy,
bringing competition into some of these big monopolies, from energy to telecom,
it's going to involve you in taking on some real pillars of the PRI, some of the old guard.
What's your leverage with them? I mean lots of them have an interest in the status quo.
[Nieto d.] I'm fully convinced that the PRI, in its effort to promote competitiveness,
more credit, fighting monopolies and pushing the energy reform I'm committed to,
that the PRI will push it, will allow it to gain more social support.
And I will also allow my political party to increase its capacity to push these initiatives.
It is clear that in order to achieve this objective, we will have to reach agreements,
to be able to push these reforms, to participate and become part
of the effort to modernize our country.
[Warner] One of your advisers said to me: "It's analogous to Nixon going to China.
Only Nixon could go to China."
Do you think you are in that position?
[Nieto, d.] Without doubt, the PRI is the political party with the political capacity
and the strength to push structural reforms that will allow us to modernize our country.
[Warner] Mr President, thank you so much.
[Nieto] Margaret, muchas gracias por esta oportunidad
[Warner] Best of luck.
[Nieto] Muchas gracias.
[Journalist] Margaret blogs about the interview
and you can find her past reports from Mexico all on our website.
(newshour.pbs.org)