FOX'S FAR-REACHING PROPOSALS A CHALLENGE TO WASHINGTON

MEXICO CITY -- After toppling more than 70 years of authoritarian,
one-party rule in Mexico, it seemed Vicente Fox would be welcomed
with open arms north of the border. Yet Fox, who becomes president
today, is pushing for more than just change in Mexico. Some of his
proposals -- that the United States do more to fight drug
trafficking, that Mexican workers eventually be able to move freely
across the border -- have put Washington on the defensive.

The former Coca-Cola executive, whose inauguration marks the first
handover of power to another party in Mexico's history, hasn't been
shy since his July 2 victory shocked and excited the world. He
immediately began preaching his vision of a modern, efficient Mexico,
traveling around the world to seek international support.

In the United States, wearing his signature cowboy boots, Fox asked
presidential candidates Al Gore and George W. Bush to support
expanding the North American Free Trade Agreement into a common
market, allowing the free movement of all goods and workers across
borders.

Both were lukewarm to the idea, probably in part because it touched
on the controversial topics of immigration and NAFTA weeks before the
closest U.S. presidential race in 40 years.

Fox was undeterred.

"I will continue to insist on this, and I know I will win the
battle," he told The Associated Press on Saturday.

Many Americans may not need convincing. Teresa Buan of Chicago said
she wouldn't mind an open border.

" People from Mexico are taking jobs that nobody else here wants,"
she said, sitting on a park bench during a family vacation to San
Antonio, Texas.

But Fox's persistence -- and his willingness to speak his mind -- may
be tough for Washington, which traditionally set the agenda when
dealing with the outgoing Institutional Revolutionary Party.

One upcoming battle could be over Mexico's anti-drug certification,
the State Department's annual drug-fighting performance evaluation.
Mexico's government has long resented the process, saying it is
unfair for the United States alone to decide.

Complaints about U.S. policy may become louder under Fox. Still, if
Fox can turn things around in Mexico, he may be able to make all the
noise he wants.

"The U.S. has always been terrified of Mexico. It's a huge poverty
belt with tremendous amounts of problems, corruption," said economist
Jonathan Heath.

"If the United States sees a president who can seem to start solving
these types of problems, it will be in the U.S.'s interests."