Salinas Criticizes Abuse of Mexicans at Border : Violence: Mexico’s president says the protection of his citizens on both sides of the crossingis a ‘firm objective of his government.’

In some of his strongest statements yet on the subject, Mexican President Carlos Salinas de Gortari has spoken out forcefully against abuses suffered by Mexican citizens on both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border.

“The protection of Mexicans here, and on the other side of the border, is a firm objective of the government,” Salinas told a gathering of Baja California dignitaries at the Tijuana Cultural Center this week. “I want to express my concern about abuses against compatriots who cross the border looking for a better life.”

Border violence has emerged as a major theme in U.S.-Mexico relations, and observers had expected the president to denounce what many perceive as a rising tide of anti-immigrant sentiment in the border area, particularly in San Diego.

Last month, Salinas and President Bush met in Monterrey, Mexico, and agreed that both nations would seek solutions to the growing problem.

A public outcry has erupted in Mexico following a number of highly publicized incidents in which U.S. law enforcement officers--mostly Border Patrol agents--have shot Mexican citizens.

In the most dramatic case, a U.S. Border Patrol officer shot a 15-year-boy Nov. 18 as the youth was poised atop the border fence separating the California border town of Calexico from Mexicali, the state capital of Baja California.

The agent says he shot in self defense as the boy prepared to hurl a rock. The youth, Eduardo Garcia Zamores, who is recuperating, denies he was holding a rock and says he was shot without provocation. The victim has filed a $9-million negligence claim against the Border Patrol.

The incident sparked a number of huge demonstrations along the Calexico-Mexicali border, including a protest Nov. 28 that shut down the busy crossing for nine hours, creating havoc with international commerce.

Within the last 12 months, U.S. Border Patrol officers based in California have shot seven people, killing four and wounding three.

“We want a respectful neighborliness, we want a useful neighborliness for both nations, but above all a neighborliness that recognizes the dignity of each human being,” Salinas said.

The Mexican government, Salinas said, has used diplomatic channels to protest each case of violence. Such pressure will continue, said Salinas, who added that the resources of Mexican consular offices, the Mexican attorney general and the foreign ministry would be used to protect the rights of Mexican citizens.

Without specifying organizations, Salinas made a clear reference to the Light Up the Border group in the San Diego area and others who have protested the presence of immigrants in the United States. The president spoke of U.S. citizens “forgetting the important economic and cultural contributions . . . of our compatriots in their country.”

Salinas’ comments came at the end of a series of appearances in Tijuana and Baja California. The president spent much of Tuesday in Mexicali, completing his two-day trip to the northern border state.