U.S. SAYS OPEN TO MEXICAN DRUG POLICY CONCERNS

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - U.S. drug policy director Barry McCaffrey said on
Monday that Washington was ready to listen to President-elect Vicente Fox's
concerns about the annual U.S. procedure of evaluating anti-drug efforts in
other countries, which is much hated in Mexico.

Fox, who will begin his six-year term as Mexico's president on Dec. 1, has
said he plans to press the United States to drop the ``certification''
process, seen by many Mexicans as a violation of their sovereignty.

``I could not agree more with President-elect Fox's basic sentiment,''
McCaffrey told journalists upon arriving at Mexico City's international
airport.

``He is calling for partnership not confrontation. He's calling for balance,
respect and deference to sovereignty. I think he will find willing partners
for those sentiments.''

Drug trafficking is a flourishing business along the 1,900-mile (3,000 km)
Mexican-U.S. border. Mexico is a major producer of marijuana, opium poppy
and methamphetamines and serves as the main transit route for Colombian
cocaine bound for the United States.

Six Mexicans were among the 12 people listed by the United States in June as
the world's most-wanted international drug kingpins, including the Arellano
Felix brothers believed to head one of the region's bloodiest drug cartels.

Fox on Monday reiterated his call for an end to the unilateral drug-war
assessment, calling for its replacement with ``multilateral certification in
which everyone participates with objectives that can be tracked by a
coordinating group.''

The incoming head of state is expected to discuss the issue with President
Clinton, Vice President Al Gore and Republican presidential candidate George
W. Bush during a visit to Washington beginning Aug. 24, according to Fox
officials.

McCaffrey welcomed Fox's search for improved ways to root out
narcotrafficking.

``We're very eager to find ways to work on new creative solutions, which
we're hearing come from President-elect Fox,'' said McCaffrey.

The U.S. official's two-day visit includes a meeting on Tuesday of the High
Level Contact Group at which U.S. and Mexican officials will exchange
information on efforts to rein in the drug trade and related activities,
such as arms trafficking and money laundering.

The High Level Contact Group was established by Clinton and outgoing Mexican
President Ernesto Zedillo in 1996 to boost cooperation in the war on drugs.

McCaffrey was also scheduled to meet Zedillo, Foreign Minister Rosario
Green, Attorney General Jorge Madrazo, and members of Fox's team during his
visit.