Source: Houston Chronicle Contact: Pubdate: Thu, 30 Oct 1997 Page: 22A Website: http://www.chron.com/ Inroads in the war against drugs McCaffrey testifies Mexico's cooperation 'has been phenomenal' By GREG McDONALD Copyright 1997 Houston Chronicle Washington Bureau WASHINGTON The nation's chief drug control authority testified before a Senate committee Wednesday that Mexico is making headway in curbing police corruption and lax government policies that have contributed to the flow of illegal drugs to the United States. Speaking before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Barry McCaffrey, director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy, said reform would continue to be a "painful, dangerous and timeconsuming" process for Mexico. But he praised the efforts of President Ernesto Zedillo and stressed that his government is determined to correct whatever problems exist and build "a strong framework" for U.S.Mexican narcotics control operations. "In the past two years, the transformation in drug cooperation (between Mexico and the United States) has been phenomenal," McCaffrey said, disagreeing with some in Congress who have charged that Zedillo has not done enough to help stem the flow of drugs across the border. In a rebuke to critics of Zedillo who want to revoke Mexico's certification by Congress as a full partner in international drug control efforts, McCaffrey warned the senators that Washington is "more apt to attain better results as a partner confronting this common problem than as a powerful neighbor making demands." He reminded the senators that the U.S.Mexican border is 2,000 miles long and presents plenty of ways for drug traffickers to get their goods to the lucrative American market. The United States, he said, needs the cooperation of Mexico to help stop it. "We encourage cooperation by accepting Mexico as a sovereign partner with whom we share mutual objectives," McCaffrey added. "Given the sensibilities and history at work, publicly cataloging Mexico's shortcomings may sometimes prove counterproductive in truly reducing drug trafficking and use." Still, McCaffrey acknowledged to the committee, which also included members of the Senate Caucus on International Narcotics Control, that Mexican law enforcement agencies are still rife with corruption in many areas, making the job of trying to halt drug trafficking across the border even more difficult. "Mexico's law enforcement institutions are afflicted by corruption and in some instances have been penetrated by the very cartels they target. Extraditions of Mexican nationals on narcoticsrelated charges remain difficult," McCaffrey said. Nonetheless, he stressed that government has launched a major crackdown on drugtrafficking organizations since Clinton and Zedillo promised closer cooperation last May, and that efforts are underway to overhaul police agencies and pass new laws dealing with narcotics trafficking. Trade and drug control efforts dominated the talks held by Zedillo and Clinton during the president's visit to Mexico last May. Both leaders signed an agreement on a drugcontrol efforts that McCaffrey said would be finalized in December with the completion of what he called the "U.S.Mexican Counterdrug Strategy."