MEXICO, COLOMBIA DRUG EFFORTS APPROVED

WASHINGTON, - President Clinton has decided to fully
certify Mexico's and Colombia's cooperation with American anti-drug
efforts, a ruling that leaves financial assistance to Washington's
southern neighbors intact.

Clinton found problems with Colombia's counter-narcotics program, but,
acting on the recommendation of Secretary of State Madeleine Albright,
certified that Bogota was fully cooperating with the war on drugs.
Clinton's decision corresponds with the election just less than a year
ago of Colombian President Andres Pastrana, whose predecessor, Ernesto
Samper, was alleged to have accepted millions of dollars from the
Colombian narcotics cartels.

Attorney General Janet Reno said the Clinton administration has
received good cooperation from Colombia, which has not received the
presidential certification in four years.

``From a law enforcement perspective, we are gratified by the early
signs of cooperation from Colombia,'' Reno told reporters.

Retired Gen. Barry McCaffrey, director of the Office of National Drug
Control Policy, said decertification of Mexico would have a
``devastating impact'' on President Ernesto Zedillo's willingness to
cooperate on counter-narcotics programs.

``We believe it will only be possible to stem the growing power of
major drug trafficking organizations if the United States and Mexico
cooperate,'' the U.S. drug czar said at the joint news conference.
``Certification will help nurture a positive working relationship
with Mexico that is essential as we continue to confront the shared
threat of international drug trafficking.''

However, Mexican legislators criticized the certification as
``arbitrary.''

Opposing Democratic Revolution Party (PRD) Senator Rosalbina Garavito,
who supports legalizing drugs to eradicate illegal trafficking, called
the certification process a ``hypocritical procedure.''

The senator said, ``U.S. intelligence organizations know more than we
do about the penetration of drug trafficking in Mexico,'' and is using
that information as ``blackmail that makes the country's sovereignty
vulnerable.''

Conservative National Action Party (PAN) Maria Elena Alvarez said the
certification process should be abolished. And PRD deputy Carlos
Heredia alleged that ``the American certification extends far beyond
drug trafficking war.''

Afghanistan and Burma were the only major drug-producing or drug-
transiting nations on which Clinton imposed the full sanctions. Iran,
which last year was penalized on the drug front by Washington, was
dropped from the entire process since it no longer has enough acreage
under cultivation for narcotics to qualify as a major drug-producing
nation.

Clinton applied the full penalties last year to Nigeria, where a
dramatic political transformation has begun to unfold since the death
of dictator Gen. Sani Abacha. Reno said the sanctions on Nigeria were
waived this year because the Clinton administration is seeing the
``beginning of cooperation'' from the transitional government in Abuja.

The 1998 Foreign Assistance Act requires the secretary of state to
provide the president with annual recommendations on which major drug-
producing or drug-transiting nations are cooperating with U.S.
counter-narcotics efforts. Most forms of assistance are suspended for
nations found uncooperative, although the president can overrule the
secretary of state on national security grounds, and the United
States must vote against financing from such multilateral lenders as

the World Bank and International Monetary Fund.

Clinton gave full certification to Aruba, the Bahamas, Belize,
Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, China, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador,
Guatemala, Haiti, Hong Kong, India, Jamaica, Laos, Malaysia, Mexico,
Pakistan, Peru, Taiwan, Thailand, Venezuela and Vietnam.

Clinton waived the sanctions on national security grounds against
Cambodia, Haiti, Nigeria and Paraguay.