Pubdate: 27 Feb 1999 Source: San Jose Mercury News (CA) Copyright: 1999 Mercury Center Contact: http://www.sjmercury.com/ Author: Christopher S. Wren, New York Times MEXICO, COLOMBIA CERTIFIED AS ANTI-DRUG ALLIES Regional stability an influence WASHINGTON -- President Clinton on Friday certified Mexico and Colombia as fully cooperative allies in fighting illegal drugs, even though most hard drugs flooding the United States come from those countries. The president's declaration illustrates the extent to which Washington's paramount interests, from regional stability to trade, influence its annual assessment of the drug threat posed by foreign countries. On Capitol Hill, two senators who led a failed attempt last year to overturn Mexico's certification dropped their opposition, and the House speaker, Dennis Hastert, signaled that he was not seeking a fight with the administration over the issue. The senators, Paul Coverdell, R-Ga., and Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., were muted compared with their demeanor last year. New standards sought They joined six Republicans in sending a letter Friday to Clinton urging the White House to incorporate new standards for evaluating Mexico's cooperation, including prosecution of the leaders of smuggling operations and extradition of traffickers wanted in the United States. ``The government of Mexico has taken steps to improve its law enforcement cooperation,'' the letter said. ``But far more, we believe, needs to be done.'' Senate aides said there was little chance that opponents of certification could muster a majority to reverse Clinton's decision, much less a two-thirds vote to override a presidential veto of any reversal. Feinstein and Coverdell had other reasons for avoiding a fight over drug policy. Feinstein, her aides say, does not believe that a divisive floor battle would be fruitful. Coverdell is the chair of a U.S.-Mexico legislative conference in Atlanta this spring and does not want to anger the Mexicans taking part. The administration's decision is likely to run into sharper opposition in the House, where Rep. John L. Mica, R-Fla., is to hold hearings next week. ``I'm hearing more and more members of Congress express dismay about Mexico's performance,'' said Mica, who predicted that the administration was ``in for a very rough time on Capitol Hill.'' 2 nations don't make cut The administration refused certification to only two countries, Afghanistan and Burma, also called Myanmar, which together supply 90 percent of the world's opium. In theory, decertification disqualifies a country from receiving American economic aid or multilateral development loans. But Washington already has frosty relations with Afghanistan and Burma and provides no direct aid. Four other countries -- Cambodia, Haiti, Nigeria and Paraguay -- were judged not to have done enough to stanch the drugs smuggled through their territory. But sanctions against all of them were waived in the American national interest, largely because of their political and economic fragility in moving toward democratic rule. Haiti's case Although Haiti has become a significant shipment point for cocaine and other drugs smuggled into the United States, the State Department said the sanctions mandated by decertification would mean eliminating American programs propping up the battered Haitian economy. ``All of us are deeply concerned about that country's deteriorating situation,'' Attorney General Janet Reno said Friday at the briefing announcing the certification decisions. Mexico remains the primary transport route for Colombian cocaine smuggled into the United States, as well as a major source of heroin, marijuana and methamphetamine and a center for laundering drug money, according to the annual International Narcotics Control Strategy Report released Friday by the State Department. - --- MAP posted-by: Mike Gogulski