CERTIFIABLY WRONG ON MEXICO

The Clinton Administration does no favor to Mexico or its own credibility
by certifying that Mexico is "fully cooperating" in the fight against drug
trafficking.

Compounding the damage, the White House Drug Policy Director, Barry
McCaffrey, fatuously claims that Mexican cooperation is "absolutely
superlative."

A more truthful assessment can be found in the Drug Enforcement
Administration's confidential evaluation, described by Tim Golden in
yesterday's Times.

The D.E.A. concludes that "the Government of Mexico has not accomplished
its counter-narcotics goals or succeeded in cooperation with the United
States Government." Mexican trafficking has increased, the D.E.A. notes,
and the corruption of its enforcement agencies "continues unabated."

Though Washington finds it diplomatically inconvenient to acknowledge,
Mexico has a chronic problem with drug traffickers who always seem able to
secure the political influence they need to avoid arrest and prosecution.
This drug corruption greases the flow of narcotics into the United States.

Mexico's drug networks span the border, supplying cocaine, heroin and
marijuana to American users. Mexico must face up honestly to its drug
corruption problem as it tries to create a more democratic and accountable
political system. The most flagrant abuses come from corrupt military and
police officials who take payoffs to protect one set of traffickers at the
expense of their rivals.

President Ernesto Zedillo's Government has made efforts to reform drug
enforcement, but with little visible result. He has not moved aggressively
enough to clean up civilian police agencies and has relied too heavily on
military officials, exposing them to the same temptations that led the
civilians astray. A more vigorous cleanup might force a showdown with
corrupt elements of Mr. Zedillo's Institutional Revolutionary Party, which
would benefit Mexican democracy.

Meanwhile, it is misleading for Washington to assert that Mexico is fully
cooperating. The law mandates penalties, including reductions in foreign
aid and limits on international lending, for countries found to be
insufficiently cooperative.

But these penalties can be waived in the interest of national security.
That should have been done with Mexico.

Certification is a clumsy tool for encouraging better narcotics enforcement
abroad. The annual review process, now required by law, forces Washington
into difficult choices between papering over problems or offending
otherwise friendly countries. It should be eliminated.

But as long as certification remains on the books, the Administration has a
duty to report truthfully to Congress and the American people. It has
failed to do so in the case of Mexico.