Inroads in the war against drugs

McCaffrey testifies Mexico's cooperation 'has been phenomenal'

By GREG McDONALD
Copyright 1997 Houston Chronicle Washington Bureau

WASHINGTON The nation's chief drug control authority testified before a
Senate committee Wednesday that Mexico is making headway in curbing police
corruption and lax government policies that have contributed to the flow of
illegal drugs to the United States.

Speaking before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Barry McCaffrey,
director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy, said reform would
continue to be a "painful, dangerous and timeconsuming" process for
Mexico. But he praised the efforts of President Ernesto Zedillo and
stressed that his government is determined to correct whatever problems
exist and build "a strong framework" for U.S.Mexican narcotics control
operations.

"In the past two years, the transformation in drug cooperation (between
Mexico and the United States) has been phenomenal," McCaffrey said,
disagreeing with some in Congress who have charged that Zedillo has not
done enough to help stem the flow of drugs across the border.

In a rebuke to critics of Zedillo who want to revoke Mexico's certification
by Congress as a full partner in international drug control efforts,
McCaffrey warned the senators that Washington is "more apt to attain better
results as a partner confronting this common problem than as a powerful
neighbor making demands."

He reminded the senators that the U.S.Mexican border is 2,000 miles long
and presents plenty of ways for drug traffickers to get their goods to the
lucrative American market. The United States, he said, needs the
cooperation of Mexico to help stop it.

"We encourage cooperation by accepting Mexico as a sovereign partner with
whom we share mutual objectives," McCaffrey added. "Given the sensibilities
and history at work, publicly cataloging Mexico's shortcomings may
sometimes prove counterproductive in truly reducing drug trafficking and use."

Still, McCaffrey acknowledged to the committee, which also included members
of the Senate Caucus on International Narcotics Control, that Mexican law
enforcement agencies are still rife with corruption in many areas, making
the job of trying to halt drug trafficking across the border even more
difficult.

"Mexico's law enforcement institutions are afflicted by corruption and in
some instances have been penetrated by the very cartels they target.
Extraditions of Mexican nationals on narcoticsrelated charges remain
difficult," McCaffrey said.

Nonetheless, he stressed that government has launched a major crackdown on
drugtrafficking organizations since Clinton and Zedillo promised closer
cooperation last May, and that efforts are underway to overhaul police
agencies and pass new laws dealing with narcotics trafficking.

Trade and drug control efforts dominated the talks held by Zedillo and
Clinton during the president's visit to Mexico last May. Both leaders
signed an agreement on a drugcontrol efforts that McCaffrey said would be
finalized in December with the completion of what he called the
"U.S.Mexican Counterdrug Strategy."