IT'S TIME FOR A NEW LOOK AT MEXICO

President Clinton's determination that Mexico is cooperating with the
United States against illegal narcotics and his recent meeting with
President Ernesto Zedillo in the Yucatan provide the opportunity to
take a hard look at U.S. relations with Mexico. Reading some of the
recent press reports, you might think our relations have never been
worse. I believe they have never been better.

Like it or not, the U.S. and Mexico are geographically joined.
According to National Security Adviser Sandy Berger, our bilateral
relationship with Mexico is perhaps our most important.

We share a border of more than 1,800 miles that sees more than 350
million legal crossings every year--equivalent to the combined
populations of Mexico and the U.S. Mexico is second only to Canada as
a U.S. export market. It eclipses even Japan. Two-way trade of almost
$1 billion every other day supports some 800,000 high-paying U.S. jobs

But our relations go much deeper than commercial and economic
interests. The United States has the world's fifth largest Hispanic
population, and it is becoming an increasingly important political
voice. Some observers argue that Hispanics--a vast majority of whom
trace their roots to Mexico--will be the bellwether vote in the 2000
elections.

Currently, the threat of illegal narcotics transiting Mexico is a
significant national security matter. For example, some 56 percent of
the cocaine that ends up on the streets of the United States comes
through Mexico, which lies squarely between the cocaine-producing
Andean Ridge and the cocaine-consuming U.S.

To address this matter, the United States and Mexico are cooperating
closely. Drug kingpin Juan Garcia Abrego is behind bars in the United
States and Mexico extradited 12 people to the U.S. in 1998. More drug
kingpins are being processed for extradition under expedited
procedures recently instituted by the Mexican government.

Mexico leads the world in drug eradications, having destroyed some
17,126 hectares of poppy and 23,977 hectares of marijuana last year.
The country arrested more than 10,000 drug traffickers during the same
time frame. Drug cartels continue to be targeted. The fact that
seizures were down somewhat in 1998 from 1997 is partly a reflection
of Mexico's success in its war against drug traffickers who have
diverted their drug transit routes through the Caribbean. Long-term
trends continue to be positive.

President Zedillo repeatedly has said drug trafficking is the No 1
threat to Mexico's national security. The political will to fight it
clearly exists. In 1998, Mexico spent more than $754 million to combat
drug trafficking. That will increase to $770 million this year. In
fact, the country now spends a greater percentage of its federal
budget against drugs than does the United States.

Through twice-yearly presidential meetings and venues such as the
annual cabinet-level Bi-National Commission and coordination between
the governments is strong and productive. Atty. Gen. Janet Reno and
drug czar Barry McCaffrey, among others, have close relationships with
their Mexican counterparts.

Could cooperation be more effective? Yes, particularly with our
customs officials and Drug Enforcement Administration agents. Have we
eradicated the drug trade? No. Do problems such as corruption still

exist in Mexico? Of course--even the Mexican government admits that
they do. According to a recent report to Congress by the U.S. Customs
Service, however, narcotics-related corruption also exists on our side
of the border.

Some argue that Mexico has not done enough to combat drugs. In the
coming days, we will hear additional calls for Congress to overturn
the president's decision to certify Mexico. Basing Mexico's
performance against a standard of perfection, these naysayers will
once again move the goal posts and find the Zedillo administration
lacking. We should not let a perfect, drug-free North America be the
enemy of good cooperation.

Overturning the president's decision could dramatically affect the
cooperation we currently enjoy and set back our relations with Mexico
a decade or more. With the presidential elections scheduled for Mexico
next year, nationalistic rhetoric would rise and discourage current
and future Mexican leaders from continuing Zedillo's engagement with
the U.S. Decertification would have consequences reaching beyond our
bilateral counternarcotics relationship, as well: trade, job creation,
immigration, investment and financial matters could be negatively
affected by a perceived absence of full confidence in Mexico by the
U.S. government. This risk is further increased by Mexico's domestic
political transition and ongoing international economic difficulties
associated with financial crises in Russia, Asia and Brazil.

Without cooperation, law-enforcement efforts would be constrained. And
more--not less--cocaine, marijuana and methamphetamines would cross
our borders.

A more thoughtful course would be to recognize that the only way to
succeed in our fight against illegal narcotics is to improve
cooperation with Mexico. Long-term, we should find a more appropriate
policy tool to replace certification, as Sens. Chris Dodd (D-Conn.)
and John McCain (R-Ariz.) have recommended. Certification is a blunt
instrument, which is now counterproductive. It should be scrapped.
Until then, the enormous stake we have in bilateral relations with
Mexico, coupled with the efforts by the Zedillo administration, demand
full certification.

A congressional resolution to overturn the president's certification
of Mexico would be a serious blow to the national security interests
of the United States. Together we can succeed. Divided, we cannot.