Mexico City, Aug 7 (DPA) Mexican authorities denied Thursday that the army is committing systematic human-rights violations in its fight against drug gangs, criticism from several sectors in the US for that reason.

'The Mexican Army has acted in properly in this fight against organised crime, and it has also launched a series of actions to strengthen its members' training in this field,' Mexican Foreign Minister Patricia Espinosa said.

She conceded that 'occasionally and in isolated incidents do situations come up that might be described as abuse of authority, abuse of power, human-rights violations'.

Espinosa spoke after Senator Patrick Leahy blocked money in the upper chamber of the US Congress for the Merida Initiative, a US government programme to support Mexico's fight against drug trafficking.

Organisations like Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch say that Mexico has not complied with the requirements of the Merida Initiative, which are preconditions to issue the money.