U.S., Mexico draw closer in cartel battle

MEXICO CITY, Nov. 22 (UPI) -- The United States and Mexico are putting aside longstanding mistrust of each other and working together against narcotics cartels, officials say.

Traditions of wariness are melting away and the two countries' governments are now sharing sensitive intelligence, computer know-how, military technology and U.S. expertise on training and assessing anti-narcotics officers in the fight against the cartels, The Washington Post reported Sunday.

"The recognition by both sides, at the highest levels, that we have a shared responsibility for drug trafficking and serious crime in Mexico is a watershed change," John Feeley, the deputy chief of mission at the U.S. Embassy in Mexico, told the newspaper.

Mexican officials are reportedly using U.S. help to build Platform Mexico, a computer network housed in a Mexico City facility set to open next week, which will connect the country with U.S. law enforcement databases.

"This is one of our most important reforms because if you don't have the intelligence, the information, you are just reacting. This will make us proactive," the director of Platform Mexico, Jose Francisco Niembro Gonzalez, told the Post.