Pubdate: Thu, 19 Apr 2001
Source: Corpus Christi Caller-Times (TX)
Copyright: 2001 Corpus Christi Caller-Times
Contact: http://www.caller.com/commcentral/email_ed.htm
Website: http://www.caller.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/872

HELMS GOES TO MEXICO AND FINDS AMIGOS

Mexico's sharpest critic, Sen. Jesse Helms, goes south of the border in a 
first for himself and the nation. In Mexico, Jesse Helms might have been 
regarded as the best example of the ugly American. That is, until this week.

The Republican senator from North Carolina has been Mexico's severest 
critic, a staunch opponent of NAFTA and the fiercest advocate of the 
argument that the nation's southern neighbor ought to be "decertified" 
because of its corruption and uncooperativeness in the fight against 
illegal drugs.

Helms' critical assessment of Mexico's government and its policies hardly 
comes from a close, in-the-field study. He rarely travels outside the 
United States. The 79-year-old senator is never among the raft of members 
of Congress who find it somehow necessary to travel the globe to personally 
inspect the workings of foreign aid and meet foreign dignitaries. He calls 
such trips a waste of money. Yet he has been sure enough of his judgment 
that he called the continuing certification of Mexico a "fraud" and his 
personal opposition to a American ambassador to Mexico disrupted 
cross-border relations for months, to the exasperation of both sides. Not 
that the consternation bothered Helms.

And the feeling was mutual: a Mexico City newspaper described Helms as "a 
known historic enemy of Mexico."

Yet this week, there was Helms in Mexico City, shaking hands and rubbing 
elbows with Mexican dignitaries of all descriptions, starting with 
President Vicente Fox. No pictures yet of Helms donning a sombrero, but 
such is the historic turn of events that that wouldn't be surprising. Helms 
was in the Mexican capital for the first joint meeting of a Senate 
committee held outside the United States.

Helms' trip to Mexico - he was accompanied by fellow senators Joseph Biden 
of Delaware, Christopher Dodd of Connecticut, Chuck Hagel of Nebraska, 
Lincoln Chafee of Rhode Island and John Ensign of Nevada - was his own 
idea. His new friendlier stance toward Mexico was brought about by the 
victory of Fox, the moderate conservative who routed the party that had 
ruled Mexico for 71 years, the PRI.

Helms seems amenable to more pragmatic, if not warmer, talks on mutual 
problems with Mexico: immigration and narcotics trafficking. That Helms can 
focus more on pragmatic matters and less on unreasonable obstinacy is due 
to a new attitude brought in with Fox's administration. Fox and his cabinet 
have been eager to show that they are less about using the United States as 
the bogeyman for all their troubles and more about getting down to finding 
answers to sticky problems.

There are still many issues dividing Mexico and the U.S. Yet if Jesse Helms 
can be "simpatico" to Mexicans, then on U.S.-Mexico relations many things 
are possible.
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