02/06/98 09:49:47 PM

By David LaGesse

The Dallas Morning News

(KRT)

WASHINGTON -- The United States and Mexico announced an agreement Friday
that administration officials and outside analysts said would help to
ensure continued U.S. certification of the Mexican anti-drug effort.

Coming after nearly a year of negotiation, the pact outlines broad areas of
cooperation between the governments. But it lacks specific commitments and
is unlikely to silence the sharp congressional criticism of Mexico's
commitment, one skeptic said Friday.

``It's fine ... we should have bilateral agreements,'' said Rep. John Mica,
R-Fla. ``But it's funny that their little agreement is coming as we are
looking at the certification process again.''

By the end of the month, President Clinton must rate the effort of U.S.
allies in the fight against drug trafficking. Congress then has 30 days to
overturn the administration's assessments, a process that has led in recent
years to fractious debates over the efforts of Mexico and Colombia.

Colombia ranks as the largest producer of cocaine that makes its way to the
United States, while Mexico serves as the leading transportation pipeline,
according to U.S. analysts. The Clinton administration has given Colombia a
failing grade the past two years, which cost the country some U.S.
financial aid.

The administration, however, approved Mexico's efforts despite widespread
reports of corruption among top-ranking Mexican officials.

Lawmakers concede it is nearly impossible to decertify Mexico, which shares
a 2,000-mile border and is the United States' third-largest trading partner.

But an embarrassing incident last year, plus continuing criticism of
Mexico's efforts from the Drug Enforcement Administration, has fed a lively
debate in recent years within the Clinton administration.

A year ago, Mexico arrested its top drug fighter -- Jesus Gutierrez Rebollo
-- on charges of taking trafficker bribes, sharpening congressional
criticism of its counterdrug efforts. That incident chagrined U.S. drug
czar Barry McCaffrey, who had previously embraced Gutierrez Rebollo as a
champion in the fight against narcotics.

McCaffrey on Friday endorsed another Mexican official who was accused of
associating with traffickers. ``The Washington Times'' this week said a CIA
report fingered Mexico's new interior minister, Francisco Labastida Ochoa,
with ``long-standing ties'' to drug dealers when he was governor of the
Mexican state of Sinaloa.

``I personally have no evidence of allegations of this nature that I would
find compelling, and we have no intention of going to the Mexican
government about allegations of this nature on this gentleman,'' McCaffrey
said. ``We intend to work with him.''

The allegation surprised many policymakers within the administration.
Several agreed with McCaffrey and said Mexico is expected to again win full
certification, a finding they said was helped by Friday's agreement.

Leaks of allegations against Mexico's government are becoming a regular
part of the certification debate, analysts said.

But John Bailey, an expert on Latin American affairs at Georgetown
University, said the two countries should be applauded for their effort to
work more closely together, even if Friday's agreement lacks specifics.

Friday's agreement is the product of a senior-level group of officials from
both countries that has met regularly over the past year.

``They've created a forum that didn't exist before for law-enforcement
issues,'' Bailey said. ``Police worry about making arrests -- but the
senior group is now worrying about the long-term political and strategic
consequences.''

The bilateral agreement itself gives the U.S. government stronger
justification for certifying Mexico as cooperating, said Peter Smith,
director of Latin American Studies at the University of San Diego.

``Mexico is guaranteed certification, certainly this year and probably
next,'' he said.

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