U.S. congressmen want Mexico blacklisted for drugs

WASHINGTON, March 2 (Reuters) - A group of Republican congressmen vowed on
Tuesday to blacklist Mexico for what they said was a failure to crack down
on drug traffickers.

The congressmen introduced a resolution to overturn President Bill
Clinton's decision last Friday to approve Mexico for fully cooperating in
the war on drugs in the annual drug certification process.

"President Clinton knows that to certify Mexico is a fraud," said
Representative Spencer Bachus of Alabama, author of the resolution. "Mexico
is not cooperating. In fact, they are resisting cooperation."

Republicans want to keep the controversial annual evaluation of other
countries involved in the drug trade, but approving Mexico made a "mockery"
of it, he said.

Bachus said U.S. anti-narcotics officials were unhappy with Mexico's
efforts due to what he said was widespread corruption and because
government statistics show a drop in Mexican seizure of cocaine and heroin
last year.

Refusal to extradite a single Mexican drug trafficker wanted by the United
States was reason enough to blacklist Mexico, Bachus said.

Congress has 30 days to accept or reject the White House's decisions on
drug certifications of 28 countries involved in narcotics producing or
trafficking.

Republican Sen. Paul Coverdell of Georgia said he did not think
"decertification" of Mexico would pass in the Senate.