France's Macron says drug trafficking fight must respect 'sovereignty'

"French President Emmanuel Macron said Friday that any effort to combat drug trafficking must respect the sovereignty of all nations, in a veiled criticism of the controversial US anti-narcotics campaign in the Caribbean and the Pacific. The French leader, who arrived in Mexico at the end of a mini-tour of Latin America, made the comment during a joint press conference with his Mexican counterpart Claudia Sheinbaum when asked about the US operations and reports on eventual similar moves in Mexico."

"The United States began carrying out strikes -- which some experts say amount to extrajudicial killings even if they target known traffickers -- in early September, taking aim at vessels in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific. The US strikes have destroyed at least 18 vessels so far -- 17 boats and a semi-submersible -- but Washington has yet to make public any concrete evidence that its targets were smuggling narcotics or posed a threat to the United States."

Any effort to combat drug trafficking must respect the sovereignty of all nations and be governed by cooperation between sovereign states and respect for each country's sovereignty. The United States has built up significant forces in Latin America and began strikes in early September targeting vessels in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific, destroying at least 18 vessels while not publicly providing concrete evidence that targets were smuggling narcotics or posed a threat to the United States. The French president visited Mexico to bolster bilateral economic ties, presided over a meeting of French and Mexican business leaders, and noted investment imbalances; it was the first French presidential visit to Mexico in more than a decade.

Read at The Local France