SENATE ANALYZES MEXICO DRUG-FIGHTING ROLE

Hearings to start on recertifying country as a U.S. ally in anti-narcotics
efforts

WASHINGTON - As the deadline nears for the Clinton administration's decision
on recertifying Mexico as a drug-fighting ally, the Senate wants to know how
Mexico is diligently helping the U.S. combat narcotics.

The chairman of the Senate's Narcotics Control Caucus, Sen. Charles
Grassley, R-Iowa, said many members of Congress were disappointed with
Mexico's drug-control efforts. Grassley was to preside Wednesday over
hearings that examine Mexico's efforts to combat drug trafficking.

Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., a past critic of Mexico's drug-control
efforts, said she would wait until after the hearing to decide whether to
try to block recertification.

"The top levels of the Mexican government are trying" to stem drug
trafficking through more infrastructure and technology, Feinstein said. On
the other hand, "indications of money laundering, and a lack of arrests and
drug seizures, don't look good," she said in an interview. "The cartels are
flourishing - and that's of deep concern."

Scheduled to testify were U.S. Customs Service Commissioner Raymond Kelley;
Adm. James Loy, commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard; Rand Beers, who heads
the Bureau of International Narcotics at the State Department; and Thomas
Constantine, administrator of the Drug Enforcement Administration.

Grassley said he wanted the hearing "to send a signal that we aren't totally
satisfied."

The administration has until Monday to decide whether to certify to Congress
that Mexico had fully cooperated in anti-drug efforts. Failure to win
certification could require a cutoff of U.S. aid and a U.S. vote against
World Bank loans to the offending countries. The administration also could
choose a middle course, deciding to decertify a country but waive the
sanctions.

President Clinton suggested last week when he met with Mexican President
Ernesto Zedillo that he would recertify Mexico as a committed ally in the
fight against drugs. Congress then has 30 days to vote to overturn a
presidential decision on certification.

Critics have complained that Mexico seized less heroin and cocaine last year
than in previous years. They also cite declines in the number of drug
seizures, arrests and investigations in Mexico last year. There also have
been concerns about widespread corruption in Mexican law enforcement.

It is estimated that about 400 tons of cocaine cross the 2,000-mile-long
U.S.-Mexican border each year.

Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, R-Texas, who has also criticized Mexican
anti-drug efforts in the past, said she "has concern about the certification
process."