The Mexican Army and Navy will continue fighting against organized crime, Mexican President Felipe Calderon said on Friday.

Calderon made the statement at a ceremony in the country's southern Acapulco port, days after the United Nations suggested Mexico's armed forces quit security operations in the country.

The UN Working Group on Enforced Disappearance said the military forces fighting the drug war may have played a role in the disappearance of scores of people.

Calderon defended the armed forces, saying Mexico is facing a "difficult situation."

"The Navy and the Army are protecting the country's security," he said, adding they are doing "a brave job to build a law-ruling country we want."

Calderon has deployed about 50,000 troops as part of his war against drug cartels launched in December 2006. Some 35,000 people were believed to have been killed in drug-related violence since then.