MEXICO CITY (AP) The U.S. Embassy on Tuesday denied local news reports that
the Mexican army was chasing down leftist rebels with helicopters donated by
the United States for antidrug operations.

Photographs taken at the scene of last week's skirmishes between the army and
rebels showed what appeared to be U.S.made helicopters flying low over the
site in the southwestern state of Guerrero.

Use of the donated helicopters for counterinsurgency operations would be a
violation of Mexico's agreements with the United States, but the embassy
noted that Mexico bought most of its Americanmade choppers on its own.

``At this time we do not have any information indicating that U.S.government
provided helicopters have engaged in activities other than legitimate counter
narcotics missions,'' the embassy said in a statement issued in response to
articles in two Mexico City newspapers Tuesday.

Mexico's Foreign Secretariat said it had not used donated helicopters in the
skirmishes, and noted that the copters are based far from the scene of the
confrontations with rebels of the Popular Revolutionary Army, known by their
initials in Spanish as the EPR.

In January 1994, the U.S. Embassy reportedly sought assurances from Mexico
that U.S.donated helicopters would not be used to put down the Zapatista
rebellion in Chiapas state, after antidrug choppers were seen operating
there.

An unidentified U.S. official was quoted at the time as saying that
highranking Mexican officials acknowledged the helicopters had been used for
an unspecified ``logistical support'' role in Chiapas.

The United States donated the 20 Huey helicopters to Mexico in November 1996
on the understanding they would only be used for counternarcotics
operations.

The photos of the helicopters were taken May 27, after some two dozen EPR
rebels ambushed a military patrol outside the community of El Quemado, 35
miles west of the Pacific resort of Acapulco.

Three soldiers and two rebels were killed in a running fire fight in which
the Mexican army used Belgianmade armored personnel carriers, helicopters,
small planes and U.S.made Humvee vehicles.

Mexico's army has stepped up patrols in Guerrero after battles with
guerrillas on May 24 and May 27. They were the first substantial clashes
since the yearold rebel movement staged a series of hitandrun attacks
across the country in August, killing 18 people.