CLINTON PRAISES MEXICO EFFORTS

Summit: Citing recent gains in war on drugs, he hints at continued U.S. aid.

MERIDA, Mexico -- President Clinton on Monday all but assured Mexican
President Ernesto Zedillo Ponce de Leon that he again would certify Mexico
as a cooperative ally in the war against drugs, brushing aside
disappointing results and U.S. congressional criticism.

``The fundamental question is are we better off fighting it together or
separately, and perhaps sometimes at odds with one another,'' Clinton said
at the outset of a meeting with Zedillo in this sun-washed town on the
Yucatan Peninsula.

Clinton cautioned that ``neither country has won the drug war,'' but added
that there is reason for optimism on both sides of the border.

``Finally, we've got a lot of the indicators going in the right direction
in the United States. And cooperation with Mexico has clearly improved
under President Zedillo's leadership,'' Clinton said.

Accompanied by his wife, Hillary Rodham Clinton, on the 23-hour trip,
Clinton also made his first remarks on post-impeachment politics since the
Senate acquitted him Friday.

He vowed to cooperate with the Republican Congress that tried to oust him,
saying it is the only way to enact needed reforms. A 24-member
congressional delegation, including four Republicans, joined him on the trip.

``This is a time for reconciliation and renewal,'' he said. ``We can't
solve the challenges of Social Security and Medicare and education and
these other things, we can't keep the American economy going, unless we
have a level of cooperation.''

But it was the subject of drugs that dominated the talks here.

Clinton's annual certification of Mexico is necessary to keep U.S. aid to
Mexico flowing. It is due in two weeks, though he has not yet formally
announced his decision. It would take a two-thirds vote of Congress to
overturn his decision.

Since 1986, the United States has been required by law to certify annually
that authorities in drug-producing countries are cooperating with U.S.
anti-drug efforts. Those not certified face possible economic sanctions,
such as a cutoff of U.S. aid.

A thorny mission

Mexico bristles at having to pass muster by another country. Authorities
complain that the U.S. certification law undermines trust between the two
nations. Clinton also does not like the law but has followed it. Like
Presidents Reagan and Bush before him, he has routinely granted Mexico's
certification.

With cocaine and other illegal drugs continuing to stream into U.S. cities,
many members of Congress are expected to raise their annual demand that
Mexico be punished.

These critics complain about corruption among Mexican authorities, an
apparent decrease in seizures of cocaine last year and a drop in the number
of heroin-producing poppy fields destroyed.

U.S. officials counter that the encouraging news is that Mexican
authorities are finally starting to work with U.S. authorities.

``I am impressed with the Mexican commitment to doing something about it,
to recognizing that it can't happen overnight, that sometimes there are
more frustrations than there are victories,'' said Attorney General Janet
Reno.

``We think we are on track,'' added retired Gen. Barry McCaffrey, director
of the National Drug Control Policy Office.

Clinton noted that critics know about Mexican corruption because the
Mexicans discovered much of it themselves.

``Much has been said in my country about the extent of the problem you
face,'' Clinton said in a speech later to Mexican business leaders.

``Let us not forget that what we know in America comes largely from
Mexico's brave efforts to get to the truth and air it. Mexico should not be
penalized for having the courage to confront its problems.''

And U.S. officials insist that Mexico is doing fine fighting illegal drugs.

Mexico seized less cocaine in 1998 than the year before, but about the same
amount it seized in 1994, said Tom Umberg, a spokesman for the White House
Office of National Drug Policy.

Regarding heroin, he said, there may be more land being used to grow
poppies, but the growers have been forced to hide their once-open crops and
to disperse their fields. ``They've made great progress with respect to the
poppy,'' Umberg said.

Just before the summit, Zedillo announced that his government would commit
an additional $400 million to $500 million to combating illegal drugs.

During the summit, Clinton announced that the FBI will offer training and
technical help to the new Mexican Federal Preventive Police force. The
force is being created to buttress local police, who are often poorly
educated and underpaid.

Aid for police training

Also Monday, Reno signed an agreement with Mexican Foreign Secretary
Rosario Green to combat violence along the U.S.-Mexico border. The pact
calls for new training for local and national law enforcement authorities
and formal communications between U.S. attorneys and Mexican consuls along
the border.

With drugs always a source of tension between the two countries, Clinton
was glad to turn to economic cooperation.

Mexico has surpassed Japan as the second-largest buyer of U.S. goods and
services after Canada, and U.S. officials believe the increased trade has
helped protect North America from the worst effects of the Asian financial
crisis.

Eager to boost that cross-border trade, the U.S. Export-Import Bank
extended a $4 billion line of credit to help Mexico buy U.S. goods and
services.

The two-year line of credit is designed to help the Mexican public and
private sectors purchase raw materials, capital equipment, aircraft and
other services from the United States.