DESPITE FLOOD OF DRUGS, U.S. SAYS MEXICO IS STAUNCH ALLY IN FIGHT

WASHINGTON - President Clinton on Friday certified Mexico and Colombia as
fully cooperative allies in fighting illegal drugs, even though most hard
drugs flooding the United States come from those countries.

The president's declaration illustrates the extent to which Washington's
paramount interests, from regional stability to trade, influence its annual
assessment of the drug threat posed by foreign countries.

On Capitol Hill, two senators who led a failed attempt last year to
overturn Mexico's certification dropped their opposition, and the House
speaker, Dennis Hastert, signaled that he was not seeking a fight with the
administration over the issue. The senators, Paul Coverdell, R-Ga., and
Dianne Feinstein, D- Calif., were muted compared with their demeanor last
year.

Senate aides said there was little chance that opponents of certification
could muster a majority to reverse Mr. Clinton's decision, much less a
two-thirds vote to override a presidential veto of any reversal.

The recertification came as President Clinton, speaking in San Francisco,
defended his efforts to cooperate with Mexico in fighting drugs, to engage
with China to promote political freedom and to threaten force to bring
peace to Kosovo.

Mr. Clinton attempted to locate coherent themes in a foreign policy that
his critics have complained reacts to world events more than it anticipates
them and abides the abuses of nations more than it prevents or punishes them.

Twice in his 50-minute speech, the president spoke of the "inexorable logic
of globalization." He warned that while increased trade and economic growth
might knit nations closer together, they would not guarantee peace, wealth
or environmental protection.

"The promise of our future lies in the world," Mr. Clinton said.
"Therefore, we must work hard with the world - to defeat the dangers we
face together and to build this hopeful moment together."