Pubdate: Tue, 16 Sep 1997 Source: Dallas Morning News front page. Contact: U.S. may arm agents in Mexico Report on drug fight says dispute is resolved By David LaGesse / of The Dallas Morning News WASHINGTON Mexico has agreed to allow U.S. drug enforcement agents in Mexico to carry weapons while they're on duty, officially resolving a thorny dispute between the two countries. The agreement by Mexico is revealed in the draft of a report to Congress on progress between the two countries in fighting trafficking. The report is expected to be released by the Clinton administration on Tuesday. "The safety and security of U.S. personnel in this and other counternarcoticsrelated cooperative activities in Mexico is a matter of primary concern to the administration," said the report, prepared under the direction of U.S. drug czar Barry McCaffrey. Under the agreement, Mexico would allow the United States to assign drug agents to U.S. consulates in Mexico. Those Drug Enforcement Administration agents could then carry weapons as part of their official duties, a Mexican government official said. That falls short of the blanket immunity sought by the DEA, which would allow U.S. agents to carry weapons at their discretion. The agreement is likely to be controversial in Mexico. Last week, opposition parties and even members of President Ernesto Zedillo's ruling Institutional Revolutionary Party took issue with his foreign minister over what they said was the government's submissive attitude toward U.S. pressures in the drug fight. In Mexico City on Monday, a government official, while preparing for Mexico's highly nationalistic Independence Day ceremonies on Tuesday, denied that any weapons agreement had been made. "That is false," he said. "The Mexican government has never accepted the carrying of weapons by DEA agents in Mexican territory, and has not changed its position. It's not even open to debate." The Clinton administration analysis also highlights Mexican cooperation in other areas seen as domestically sensitive for Mr. Zedillo. The report describes numerous examples of Mexican and U.S. military units operating together against traffickers cooperation once considered impossible and a new willingness on the part of Mexico to accommodate U.S. demands for criminal extraditions. The fact that Mr. Zedillo has taken the steps is evidence of Mexico's increased cooperation, a Clinton administration official said. The report is unlikely to satisfy congressional critics, who say Mexico still has failed to arrest prominent drug kingpins and that the flow of drugs through Mexico appears unchecked. President Clinton agreed to provide the report on bilateral cooperation after certifying in March that Mexico was fully cooperating in the fight against trafficking. The assessment came during the annual process of certifying U.S. allies in the antidrug effort. Some congressional leaders sharply criticized Mexico's antidrug efforts as insufficient and sought to overturn Mr. Clinton's assessment. Decertifying Mexico would have limited the ability of the United States to aid Mexico, and the ensuing debate created friction between the two countries. The largely upbeat draft report describes some problems in Mexico. "Corruption and impunity in Mexico have not ended; counternarcotics resources are sometimes scarce; and historical factors still hinder cooperation at operational levels," it stated. But Mexico's transition to a more democratic government is helping the drug fight, the administration report said. Mexico has made a number of legal changes, including making money laundering a crime and allowing more aggressive law enforcement tactics, such as wiretapping. Although the report points out problems in Mexico, particularly with official corruption, it emphasizes the effort of Mr. Zedillo to overcome those problems, the Mexican government official said. "The report makes clear the political will in Mexico to address these issues," the official said. Earlier this year, Mexico's attorney general announced he was dismantling the corrupt federal police units that were charged with the antitrafficking effort. He acted after the embarrassing arrest of a top Mexican drug enforcement official, Gen. Jesus Gutierrez Rebollo, in February on charges of taking trafficker payoffs. Mr. Gutierrez's arrest was particularly awkward because of Mexico's decision to temporarily increase the role of its military in the counterdrug fight. Still, militarytomilitary cooperation between the two countries, which was nearly nonexistent in 1995, has increased significantly. Mexico's navy for the first time has cooperated in maritime operations with the U.S. Coast Guard, including the deployment of U.S. detection teams as part of ship boardings by Mexican naval forces, the report said. Just last month, Mexican aircraft worked side by side with a U.S. cutter and aircraft to track suspected traffickers that were later pursued by three Mexican navy vessels. The traffickers escaped, but dumped more than 2.7 tons of cocaine recovered by the Mexicans. Intelligence sharing between the two countries has expanded significantly, including a secure line established between agents at the U.S. embassy and a leading Mexican antidrug agency, the report said. Shared information helped the Mexican army seize a tanker truck containing almost 10 tons of cocaine in April one of the largest cocaine seizures ever. Members of Congress sharply criticized Mexico for not extraditing more fugitives to the United States, which they say differs from a U.S. policy of returning criminals wanted in Mexico. In response, Mexico has agreed to extradite more criminals but under current Mexican law, extradition must wait until they have served sentences there. The passage of time would make U.S. convictions difficult. So Mexico early this year suggested a new agreement to allow "temporary extraditions" of fugitives for trial in each other's country. The fugitives then would return to the country where they were captured to first complete prison terms there. Negotiations on a specific agreement continue, according to the administration report. The two nations, however, also struggle to get into operation special crossborder enforcement squads. One stumbling block was the dispute over U.S. drug enforcement agents carrying weapons on Mexican soil. Mexican officials had agreed to look the other way, but U.S. Drug Enforcement officials demanded an explicit agreement. Staff writer Laurence Iliff in Mexico City contributed to this report.