Mexican President Felipe Calderon to Meet with Javier Sicilia Today

Mexican president Felipe Calderon has agreed to meet with poet and activist Javier Sicilia, reports CNN. Sicilia, whose son was killed in March, has dedicated the last four months to a widespread movement demanding an overhaul in the handling of the government's war on drugs. The poet will meet Calderon and several members of his Cabinet today at the National Anthropology Museum in Mexico City, "a location which Sicilia said stands for the 'national re-foundation' Mexico needs." It is said that Sicilia "will request specific responses about modifying Mexico's approach to national security," and "will also call on the Mexican government to devote more attention to victims of violence."

On the eve of one of Sicilia's marches last month, Calderon issued a statement reiterating his government's commitment to fighting organized crime.

"Retreating from the fight is not an option. Quite the opposite. We must redouble our efforts, because if we stop fighting, they are going to kidnap, extort and kill all over the country," he said. "Because marching back means things will get worse. If we retreat, we will allow gangs of criminals to walk all the streets of Mexico with impunity, assaulting people without anyone stopping them."

And even as the anti-violence movement gains ground, some security analysts say Mexican officials may have little choice but to stay the course, despite proposals to change direction that will likely emerge as part of Mexico's 2012 presidential campaign.

"As the Mexican election approaches, the idea of accommodating the cartels may continue to be presented as a logical alternative to the present policies, and it might be used to gain political capital, but anyone who carefully examines the situation on the ground will see that the concept is totally untenable," the Stratfor global intelligence agency said in a report earlier this month.

"The next Mexican president will have little choice but to follow the policies of the Calderon administration in continuing the fight against the cartels," the report concluded.