US President Donald Trump said Friday he would not proceed with his stated plans to designate Mexican drug cartels as terror groups following a request from his counterpart Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador.
Trump called for a "war" on the cartels last month after the killings of nine women and children from a US-Mexican Mormon community.
The case brought fresh attention to cartel violence in Mexico and leftist president Lopez Obrador’s struggles to rein in bloodshed, but south of the border the US plans were seen as unwanted meddling.
Mexican officials asked for clarification on Trump’s plans, and said they wanted to make progress on efforts to stem the flow of weapons and money from the United States to criminal gangs in Mexico.
Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard had reacted more forcefully, saying: "Mexico will never allow any action that means a violation of its national sovereignty." While Trump said in a tweet Friday evening that "all necessary work has been completed to declare Mexican Cartels terrorist organizations," he said