The US and Mexican government agreed on Wednesday to create a common office in Mexican territory to coordinate joint actions against organized crime and drug trafficking.

US Secretary of State Hilary Clinton, who is on a two-day official visit to Mexico, announced in a joint press conference with her Mexican counterpart Patricia Espinoza that the US government will give Mexico more than 80 million US dollars to buy "Black hawk" helicopters to fight against organized crime in Mexico.

Clinton said that her country is willing to work "shoulder by shoulder" with Mexico on border security, migration, commerce and competitiveness.

Before arriving, Clinton told reporters that the US shared responsibility with Mexico for dealing with the violence along the border.

"Our insatiable demand for illegal drugs fuels the drug trade," she said, "our inability to prevent weapons from being illegally smuggled across the border to arm these criminal causes the death of police officers, soldiers and civilians."

Her country will work with Mexico to improve security along the border, she said.

At the press conference in Mexico City, Clinton also said that in her meeting with Mexican President Felipe Calderon, they discussed issues related to security, economic cooperation, environment, global economic crisis, and US actions to reinforce security in the shared border.

About 6,300 people were killed in Mexico in violence related to organized crime and drug trafficking in 2008, and 1,482 people were killed this year.

Calderon's war against drug trafficking was launched in 2006 and it has cost some 6.4 billion dollars in 2007 and 2008.

(Xinhua News Agency March 26, 2009)