Mexico City, Mexico (CNN) -- As Mexico approaches its bicentennial, Mexico's president says his country is fighting significant security problems -- many of which are fueled by U.S. policies.
"We live next to the world's largest drug consumer, and all the world wants to sell them drugs through our door and our window. And we live next to the world's largest arms seller, which is supplying the criminals," Mexican President Felipe Calderon told CNN en Español Friday.
Speaking less than a week before his country's bicentennial, Calderon discussed a wide range of topics, including immigration policy, his favorite Mexican independence hero, his Twitter account and America's role in Mexico's drug war.
He said many of America's leaders have acknowledged a shared responsibility in drug violence.
"But I think in American society, there is still not a sense of sharing responsibility, unfortunately," he said.
The 2004 end to the U.S. federal assault weapons ban gave criminals new resources, he said.
"They gained access to powerful firearms that they didn't have before," he said.
President Barack Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton have repeatedly publicly acknowledged that the United States plays a role in drug violence.
CNN
