The US plan, adopted in 2008, calls for three-year spending of $1.4 billion, about half of which has been spent. Human-rights stipulations in the plan include jurisdiction for the civilian justice system over any military abuse cases.

Espinosa stressed that Mexico is 'open for scrutiny on human rights and cooperates with all United Nations organs in that field'.

The 2008 death toll from drug-related violence in Mexico was 6,290, with more than 3,000 slayings already this year. Thousands of Mexican troops and federal police have been deployed across the country to fight the feared drug gangs.