MEXICO, U.S. TO STEP UP COOPERATION IN DRUG WAR

WASHINGTON -- Drug czar Barry McCaffrey and Mexican officials unveiled a
plan Friday to increase U.S.-Mexican cooperation against drug trafficking
and eventually to let the countries evaluate each other's progress.

The joint efforts are outlined in a 41-page report released here and in
Mexico City.

McCaffrey repeatedly stressed the importance of cooperation and joint
responsibility.

"This is not a case of U.S. drug consumption and Mexican drug supply,"
McCaffrey said. "This cannot be addressed in a serious fashion unless we
are partners."

The 16-point report addresses many aspects of drug trafficking and drug
prevention. They include strengthening extradition laws, stemming the flow
of illegal firearms and exchanging information on drug prevention methods.
The points come from a meeting in May between the presidents of the United
States and Mexico.

As the countries work together, a report card will chart the progress of
each country, starting in April. Developing these standards will be "the
hardest step of all," McCaffrey said.

"The only thing that will satisfy both sides is to have evaluation
techniques which hold both of us mutually accountable," he said.

McCaffrey hopes the strategy in five years will allow Mexico to skip the
annual certification process by which the president and Congress judge
drug-fighting efforts. If a country is decertified, the United States must
vote against loans and credits from international financial institutions.

Mexico sees certification as an encroachment on its sovereignty.