U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is in the Mexico for two days of talks with her Mexican counterpart at the ocean resort of Puerto Vallarta.
Rice and Foreign Relations Secretary Patricia Espinosa will discuss Mexico's battle against its brutally violent illegal drug trafficking gangs and other topics.
Nearly 4,000 people have been killed in drug-related violence in Mexico this year, despite President Felipe Calderon's deployment of 36,000 troops throughout the country to battle the gangs.
Mexico City has called on Washington to release more than $400 million approved by the U.S. Congress as part of an initiative to help Mexico and Central American countries fight the cartels.
Rice and Espinosa will also discuss Mexico's newly won seat on the United Nations Security Council.
Some information for this report was provided by AFP, AP and Reuters.