McCaffrey conciliatory in Mexico

U.S. drug czar urges cooperation in fight

By S. Lynne Walker
COPLEY NEWS SERVICE
April 18, 1997

MEXICO CITY -- U.S. drug czar Barry McCaffrey struck a conciliatory noteduring a visit with Mexican officials yesterday, saying the two countries must strive for cooperation rather than confrontation in the war against illegal narcotics. Seeking to console the Mexican government for the "painful, open debate" over the certification of Mexico's anti-narcotics efforts, McCaffrey said the nations share problems ranging from corruption to organized crime to drug addiction. "We see ourselves as partners, not as adversaries," he said.

McCaffrey's two-day trip to Mexico comes amid heightened tensions over U.S. drug, extradition and immigration policies. Immigration and Naturalization Service commissioner Doris Meissner also met with Mexican officials yesterday to discuss the recently implemented immigration law. The official visits come less than three weeks before President Clinton is scheduled to travel to Mexico for the first time in his administration.

Although U.S. Ambassador James Jones said yesterday that the "hot rhetoric and the reaction" to certification "is clearly not what it was" several weeks ago, Mexican and U.S. officials privately expressed concerns that a rising tide of anti-American sentiment will spark protests during Clinton's May 5-7 visit. McCaffrey sought to defuse some of the animosity by blaming the United States for being a major consumer of illegal drugs.

Americans spend about $50 billion a year on drugs, creating a lucrative market for Mexican narcotics, he said. At the same time, he praised the Mexican government for increasing drug seizures. Mexican law enforcement officials confiscated 30 percent more marijuana last year than in 1995. Heroin seizures rose 78 percent. And more than 20,000 acres of marijuana plants were eradicated, he said.

In a ceremony intended to underscore Mexican anti-drug efforts, federal authorities in Tijuana yesterday took a torch to recent seizures -- including 8 tons of marijuana, 426 kilograms of cocaine and 5 kilos of heroin. Such torching ceremonies are held periodically by federal authorities, but this was the first since February, when Mexican soldiers took over the jobs of civilian anti-drug agents in the state. McCaffrey acknowledged that the United States is a source of illegal arms.

"This huge border, with 230 million crossings (per year), with 500,000 rail cars and 2 million trucks presents an opportunity for U.S. gun smugglers shipping south to Mexico," McCaffrey said. Still, he called the U.S.-Mexico border a symbol of partnership rather than controversy between the two countries. "We really don't have a border between the two countries," McCaffrey said. However, he failed to ease concerns that the United States is pressuring Mexico to extradite high-level drug traffickers for prosecution in American courts.

But under questioning by reporters, he said there is "a new notion" on extradition that will be discussed by the two countries. Staff writer Sandra Dibble contributed to this report.

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