Colombian president says Mexico will win drug war

Colombian president Alvaro Uribe predicted that Mexican counterpart Felipe Calderon's controversial efforts to combat the increasingly violent drug war that is wracking his nation would be successful.

"When you live in a country like Colombia that has already faced that intense fight against crime, one is very happy to see efforts like those of President Calderon," Uribe told business leaders in Monterrey on Sunday night.

Calderon has been criticized for deploying federal troops to the streets to combat violent turf wars between rival drug cartels. The savage battles have left hundreds of people dead and often decapitated across northern and western Mexico. The carnage among police is particularly high, leaving many officers fearful or susceptible to corruption.

Organized crime has become "a profound crisis that is affecting many Latin American countries and particularly Mexico," said Nuevo Leon state governor Jose Natividad Gonzalez. "It's affecting governability."

Uribe emphasized Colombia's own work to slow the flow of drugs and assist U.S. prosecutors, noting that his government had carried out some 900 extradition orders since he took office and has seen crime and kidnappings fall sharply.

Colombia is world's top producer of cocaine, while Mexico has become a major transit point.

Uribe did not say how Mexico would win its drug war, but he and Calderon plan to discuss security issues in Mexico City on Monday.

The business conference Uribe attended in Monterrey will also address energy issues, the significance of growing Asian markets, and U.S. policy under a newly elected President Barack Obama.

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