President Claudia Sheinbaum noted this Wednesday that the entry of United States military aircraft into the country will only be authorized under “special conditions,” following the controversy generated by the landing of a US Air Force plane, whose presence was linked to training activities previously not publicly reported.
Sheinbaum specified that said aircraft, which landed last Saturday at the Toluca International Airport, was a decision of the National Security Council and its objective was to transport Mexican personnel to the United States to receive training, within the framework of bilateral cooperation agreements.
“What is better is for a Mexican plane to go to the United States to drop off those who are going to carry out the training, than for a plane from the United States to come and pick them up. So it is much better and it is a decision that has been made,” said Sheinbaum, in a daily press conference.
The president stressed that this type of training must be approved by said council and clarified that the entry of the plane did not violate any legal provision, since it was not the deployment of troops or foreign instructors in Mexican territory, assumptions that do require authorization from the Senate.
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However, he noted that his government decided to modify the procedure and that now, when it comes to training programs abroad, Mexican aircraft will be in charge of transporting personnel, instead of allowing US military aircraft to enter the country, except “under special logistical conditions.”
“But if it is a matter of training, it is better for a Mexican plane to go there,” the president reiterated.
On the other hand, Sheinbaum maintained that the plane was not carrying weapons and that only the pilot and crew were traveling, without offering specific details.
The controversy over the landing of the US military plane in Mexico occurs amid US President Donald Trump’s threats of ground attacks against drug trafficking cartels in Mexico.
On Sunday, local media reported that on January 17, a United States military plane landed at the Toluca International Airport, in the State of Mexico, amid tensions due to the alert issued by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), on January 16, regarding possible interference in navigation systems derived from military activities.
With information from EFE.
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