(AFP) – 23 hours ago

http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5gLcb8YHJ4MfECycbpKx6MohziQ8Q?docId=CNG.868a4b86837a386de3ae9d3945b7599c.141

MIAMI — Cross border criminal organizations specializing in drug, arms trafficking and money laundering are the principal threat to the United States in Latin America, a top US general said Friday.

"I do not see any conventional military threat to the United States from the region," General Douglas Fraser told a conference organized by the University of Miami. "So my concerns then become... very non-traditional.

The threats come from "transnational criminal organizations and the impact they are having on politics, the economy, and societies throughout the region," he said.

Fraser, who heads up the US military's Southern Command, said corruption makes it difficult to fight these organizations, which continue to grow and strengthen, especially in Mexico and Central America.

In some countries, he said, "endemic" corruption aids the activities of the criminal gangs.

"Law enforcement organizations are not respected, the judiciary systems lack the ability to investigate, convict, and put in prison those who are detained," said Fraser.

"All of that brings to the region a sense of impunity, and that has a significant impact on the overall security problem."

Fraser also noted that Iran continues to try to increase its diplomatic and commercial influence in the region, although it is not yet seen as a security threat.

Fraser noted that Iran had almost doubled the number of embassies in the region in the past five years, established cultural centers in 17 countries, and is supporting anti-US efforts in the area."

But, he said, "from a security standpoint, I have not seen a significant connection. My primary concern remains their historic relationship with Hezbollah."