MEXICAN LEADER GREETS CLINTON WITH A BEARHUG

MERIDA, Mexico -- With a new lease on his presidency, President Clinton
basked in a warm reception here yesterday in the tropical capital of the
Yucatan, where even raucous pre-Lent carnival celebrations were quieted in
honor of his arrival.

The president was greeted with a bearhug by Mexican President Ernesto
Zedillo at an airport festooned with Mexican and U.S. flags and a giant,
illuminated sign that read "Bienvenidos a Mexico."

The affectionate welcome came even though the leaders are expected to
address such thorny issues as drug policy and immigration during the
one-day visit by Clinton.

While he did not come bearing huge gifts, the two men are expected to sign
an agreement liberalizing air travel and another providing $4 billion in
credit for Mexican importers of U.S. products over two years.

Mexico has emerged as the No. 2 importer of U.S. goods because trade to
much of the world has stagnated amid the global economic crisis.