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Cooperation, not isolation, is needed to solve drug problem
Carlos Freymann

Stand by, stay tuned! A new struggle between the United States and Mexico
seems about to begin!

U.S. certification of Mexico, a type of international endorsement from the
most powerful nation for transactions to be made by the neighbor nation in
the world arena loans trade, etc. is once again a subject of
discussion being brought up by U.S. senators Dianne Feinstein (DCalifornia)
and Paul Coverdell (RGeorgia), both members of the Senate Foreign Relations
Committee. They believe that Mexico is not doing enough in this nation's
struggle against drug smuggling.

Last February, well aware of the enormity of problems Mexico and the United
States would face if such certification was denied, President Clinton
brushed aside congressional opposition and recertified Mexico as a
cooperating ally in the battle against drug trafficking. However, Mexico's
reaction toward the possible U.S. denial of said certification was irately
expressed not only by the Mexican Congress, which allegedly was about to
create and impose a retaliatory measure of similar characteristics, but also
by President Ernesto Zedillo himself who in a public address menaced to
take severe measures if the threat was ever brought about.

Well, if senators Feinstein and Coverdell are successful and Mexico sustains
the word of her leaders, the forecast can only be for a storm.

Somehow, some people agree that such certification should be used as a tool
against a nation that is considered not "cooperating enough" with the United
States in the great battle against drug trafficking."

But, the facts relay a different story. Consider the following:

•Mexico imprisoned her drug czar when he was found to be colluding with
traffickers;

•Mexico fired and/or detained a number of agents of the Attorney General's
Office (known in Mexico under the initials PGR) for conspiring with
traffickers;

•Mexico has lost over a score of agents of the equivalent to the U.S. DEA,
who died in the line of duty;

•Mexico's presidential participation has been demonstrated through personal
intervention and with the emission of direct orders;

•It has been proven that on the U.S. side of the border collusion of
governmental officers with drug traffickers is nothing unusual;

•On Friday Oct. 24, 1997, the White House drug policy chief, Barry
McCaffrey, praised the Mexican armed forces as "the most effective
organization on the face of Earth in drug eradication";

•And, above all, despite these activities, and those made domestically by
the U.S. government, the demand and use of drugs in this nation continues
growing.

If after all is said, last year's threat of the Mexican decertification is
repeated, it is well worth to consider that either both senators sponsoring
the encore of the drastic measure merely desire to be in the limelight, or
their ignorance about the calamities the decertification would bring about
is profound.

The daily positive, a creative and productive relationship between the
United States and Mexico one that most definitely has to be maintained
involves the following:

•10 million people living along the border of both nations, whose lives are
intimately related either through services, trade or family ties;

•About 500,000 Americans residing in Mexico;

•The Mexican roots of almost 15 million U.S. citizens;

•Some 250 million people and 11 million vehicles that regularly cross the
U.S./Mexico border.

Mexico is the United States' third largest trading partner and second
largest export market after Canada. Mexico's trade with the United States is
greater than that with Japan, even though Mexico's economy is one seventh
the size of the Japanese economy. There are 2,600 U.S. companies established
in Mexico.

Considering all this, a sensible rationale for the national problem of drugs
is obviously not to create frictions with whomever is assisting us in the
eradication of a major illness. (A surgeon would never fight the
anesthesiologist while operating). I believe the answer involves, besides a
better relationship with Mexico:

•The federal appropriation of sufficient funds to fight the problem. And I
believe we must have them, when, among many other such projects, we spent
$3.5 billion to send a probe to Jupiter, and also a robot to Mars which
was just a bit less expensive. We need adequate funding to create a
longlasting national campaign to fight the use of drugs;

•A change in our laws so that without possible excuse, we should send anyone
who sells or promotes drugs to jail for a minimum of 20 years and for 50
years those who assist and/or bring drugs into this nation.

At this juncture, I must say: Who is better equipped to discuss the law of
supply and demand than America, the supermarket of the world? Are we being
fair in criticizing others for sending drugs here, when we, as a
marketplace, are willing to receive and pay a high price for them?

I am sure there are many other elements involved, but these, to me, are the
bare facts!

Carlos Freymann is president of San Antoniobased Freymann & Associates, an
international marketing and public relations firm.