NATIONS' DRUG-WAR GRADES MAY CHANGE

WASHINGTON (AP) -- A law that grades countries on their efforts to fight
drug trafficking, long criticized by Mexico and other nations, would be
altered substantially by a proposal passed unanimously yesterday by the
Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

Under current rules, foreign nations can lose U.S. aid if they are found
not to be "fully cooperating with the United States" in anti-drug efforts.
The new plan would have them judged instead on adherence to international
treaties or other commitments.

The vote was 17-0 on the measure, drawn up largely by Sen. Christopher
Dodd, D-Conn., and endorsed by committee Chairman Jesse Helms, R-N.C. By
the same vote, the committee approved the nomination of William Howard Taft
as the State Department's legal adviser.