MEXICO'S MILITARY PURCHASES FROM U.S. SOAR - REPORT SAYS

MEXICO CITY, March 15 (Reuters) - Mexico's military purchases from the
United States increased sharply in 1997, along with procurement from
private sources, La Jornada newspaper reported on Sunday.

Citing official U.S. government documents, La Jornada said U.S. Foreign
Military Sales (FMS) to Mexico rose to $28 million in 1997 from $4.8
million the year before.

The Mexican Defense Ministry had no comment on the report.

La Jornada said U.S. officials had no details of the military supplies sold
last year, but in 1996 the shopping list included mainly communications
equipment, trucks and aircraft parts.

The purchases placed Mexico third behind Colombia and Venezuela in terms of
Latin American buyers of military supplies from Washington, the paper said.

The newspaper said State Department officials had also confirmed that sales
of military supplies to Mexico by private companies totaled at least $12
million last year.

In addition to commercial trade, the Mexican army acquired 73 helicopters
and is expected to receive considerable amounts of machine gun ammunition
this year under a U.S. program to hand excess equipment over to its allies.

Experts say the Mexican army has grown quickly in size and power since
President Ernesto Zedillo took office in December 1994, leading the fight
against everything from drug trafficking to guerrillas and common crime.
Spending on the military doubled between 1995 and 1998.