MEXICO COOPERATES WITH US

LAST month, President Clinton certified Mexico as an ally in the
international fight against drugs. We believe that this decision was
correct and that Mexico's senior leadership is strongly cooperating
with the United States in this fight.

In considering Mexican certification, it is important to remain
focused on the legal standard of cooperation and the public policy
rationale for these standards. The linchpin of cooperation is a
guarantee of common commitments and partnership. We believe Mexico has
made significant progress in recent years and meets the standard under
the law.

Mexican officials at all levels work closely with their U.S.
counterparts across a full spectrum of counterdrug activities. Under
President Ernesto Zedillo's leadership, Mexico has named combating
narco-trafficking as Mexico's "No. 1 national security priority."

In 1995-97, Mexico eradicated more opium and marijuana than any other
country. In 1998, Mexico seized 22.6 metric tons of cocaine, 121 kilos
of heroin, 1,062 metric tons of marijuana and 96 kilos of
methamphetamine. Net Mexican marijuana production also dropped by more
than 70 percent.

The United States coordinates regularly with Mexico on counterdrug
surveillance flights. The U.S. conducts more cooperative money
laundering investigations with Mexico than we do with any other nation
in the world.

Mexico also has committed up to $500 million to deploy advanced
technologies to thwart drug smuggling. It has expanded the tools
available to law enforcement to investigate drug crimes, allowing for
the first time the use of wiretaps, informants, witness protection and
plea bargains. In addition, Mexico has crinitnalized money laundering.

As Mexico's domestic drug addiction problems have grown, our common
efforts have been broadened to include demand reduction programs such
as prevention and treatment. Mexico also has joined the United States
in developing a set of 147 specific performance measures to evaluate
each nation's progress in implementing the comprehensive U.S-Mexico
binational drug strategy adopted early in 1998. Mexico is the first
nation to agree to such a common set of benchmarks.

Nevertheless, serious problems remain. In a report released in
February, the Mexican government has itself recognized that in Mexico
"crime is increasingly violent and better organized," that

"impunity and inefficiency are found in law enforcement" and that "the
administration of justice is inadequate." Sixty percent of the cocaine
sold on American streets comes through Mexico, even while Mexico's
cocaine seizures sharply declined last year. Despite the Mexican
government's having entered numerous orders of extradition, Mexican
courts have prevented the extradition of any Mexican nationals on
major drug-trafficking charges.

Mexico also must continue to confront pervasive corruption driven by
the enormous illicit wealth of the drug kingpins. Zedillo has
demonstrated the political will necessary to tackle this challenge by
putting in place vetting systems to screen counterdrug police and by
undertaking a number of high level prosecutions and arrests, including
the conviction of former drug czar Gen. Jose de Jesus Gutierrez Rebollo.

Ultimately, the interest of the United States is strengthened by
cooperating with Mexico. After all, criminal elements don't respect
national boundaries; they use borders as shields to avoid detection,
capture and prosecution. Major international drug kingpins rarely set
foot on our soil; they rely instead on global markets to move their
deadly merchandise and launder their illicit gains. Unless we act in
partnership with other nations, these kingpins will remain largely
beyond the reach of law enforcement.

AS we confront the enormous common danger that drugs pose to Mexico
and the United States, it serves the vital interests of both to remain
steadfast in our course of cooperation. We can fight this scourge
together, or we can duplicate efforts, fail to communicate and yield a
key strategic advantage to narco-traffickers.

President Clinton's decision to certify Mexico is right for the
national interests of the American people, just as President Zedillo's
decision to work with the United States on drug enforcement is in the
best interest of the Mexican people.

Madeleine Albright is U.S. secretary of state
Janet Reno is U.S. attorney general.
Barry McCaffrey is director of the U.S. Office of
National Drug Control Policy.