Pubdate: Thu, 15 Feb 2001
Source: Associated Press
Copyright: 2001 Associated Press
Author: Ron Fournier, AP White House Correspondent

BUSH MAY END MEXICO DRUG EVALUATION

WASHINGTON (AP)  President Bush is open to ending the annual U.S. 
evaluation of Mexico's drug-fighting efforts, officials said Thursday, in a 
goodwill gesture on the eve of Bush's trip to visit newly installed Mexican 
President Vicente Fox.

"Mexico has seen a new birth of freedom," Bush said at the State Department 
as he prepared for the first foreign trip of his presidency. Fox and other 
Mexican leaders have railed against the congressionally mandated drug 
certification process, which can result in economic penalties.

Talks between the two leaders are expected to trace a wide range of issues, 
including immigration, trade, energy and drugs. But no major developments 
are planned for the scheduled 7 1/2-hour session at San Cristobal, the site 
of Fox's dusty ranch 210 miles northwest of Mexico City in the state of 
Guanajuato.

Bush and Fox - both ranch owners who favor Western wear and enchiladas - 
plan to stress their personal ties, not their nations' differences. As they 
meet, there will be a series of picture-taking sessions showing them in 
cozy, casual settings.

"President Fox and I met as governors, and I look forward to deepening our 
friendship," said Bush, a former two-term Texas governor. "But I look 
forward even more to forging a deeper partnership between our two great 
nations."

One sticking point in U.S.-Mexico relations is the 14-year-old law 
requiring the U.S. president to certify annually which of nearly 30 
countries are cooperating in the fight against drug trafficking. Those 
considered not to be doing enough can be "decertified" and face possible 
sanctions. The next deadline for State Department decisions on 
certification is March 1.

The process has infuriated many countries, most notably Mexico, that view 
it as a condescending and hypocritical exercise by the nation that is the 
world's largest consumer of illegal drugs. Mexico has never failed to be 
certified.

Previewing the trip, White House press secretary Ari Fleischer said Bush 
wants to work with Mexico to reduce drug trafficking and has noted "some 
questions that have been raised on Capitol Hill about whether the current 
certification regime is, indeed, the most appropriate way to do so."

He was referring to proposals that would change or eliminate the 
certification process, including one that would exempt Mexico for one year 
and another that would end the process altogether.

Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, a major defender of certifications, wants to 
change the process to focus more on countries with poor records in fighting 
drugs.

Fleischer said of Bush, "He's open to reviewing the legislative proposals 
that have been made."

Two administration officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the 
White House is signaling Bush's willingness to lift or dramatically change 
the certification process as a gesture to Mexico. They noted that only 
Congress could change the law, and said it was highly unlikely that Bush 
would make his support a part of the joint statement that he and Fox will 
release after Friday's meetings.

A senior administration official, who conducted a White House news 
conference on condition of not being identified, suggested that Bush's 
stance was linked to Fox's election, which ended seven decades of one-party 
control. She called Fox a "dedicated partner" in the war on drugs.

Secretary of State Colin Powell said during his confirmation hearing that 
certification can be "self-defeating" and a sign of "American hubris," 
though he stressed that he had not yet discussed the topic with Bush.

Less than a month into office, the president is making a quick trip to a 
familiar country before taking the training wheels off his foreign policy: 
He travels to Canada in April for the Summit of Americas, and has overseas 
journeys penciled in for later this year.

Aides said a joint statement being drafted in advance of the Fox meeting is 
a broad document that sets the tone for what officials are calling "an 
authentic partnership." It also is expected to assign top aides - Powell 
and Attorney General John Ashcroft from the U.S. - to study immigration issues.

Despite the positive talk, differences between the countries include:

- -The issue of amnesty for millions of Mexicans living in the United States. 
The administration official who briefed reporters said her boss doesn't 
think amnesty is the best approach to solving the immigration problem. Fox 
supports amnesty.

- -Mexican trucks in the United States. An arbitration panel has ruled that 
the United States violated the NAFTA agreement by refusing to allow trucks 
full access to American highways. Bush says American motorists and Mexican 
trucks can someday share U.S. highways, but he has no plan yet on how to 
get there.

- -Bush wants private capital from the United States to help build Mexican 
power plants, which could provide energy to California. Mexico's 
constitution all but prohibits foreign control of energy production.
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