Pubdate: Wed, 19 May 1999 Source: Arizona Republic (AZ) Copyright: 1999, The Arizona Republic. Contact: http://www.azcentral.com/news/ Forum: http://www.azcentral.com/pni-bin/WebX?azc POLL: SUSPICION HIGH ON BOTH SIDES OF BORDER Americans and Mexicans blame each other for illegal drug trafficking, and both sides believe the other has benefited more from free trade in North America, according to a survey of national attitudes released Tuesday. The study, conducted by the polling company Louis Harris & Associates Inc., also revealed that an overwhelming majority of Mexicans believes the U.S. government is unfair to Mexicans who illegally enter and reside in the United States. A small majority believes the U.S. government mistreats Mexicans who legally live north of the border. In addition, the Harris poll showed Mexican displeasure with President Clinton, despite his controversial rescue of Mexico's economy four years ago. Louis Harris conducted the survey of both countries between April 8 and May 3. On the subject of drugs, 50 percent of the 4,500 Mexicans surveyed said Americans' appetite for buying and using drugs is the main culprit for the illegal trade. By contrast, of the 1,006 Americans surveyed, 48 percent blame Mexico for failing to take strong action against Mexican drug dealers. As for imports and exports, a majority of Mexicans, 73 percent, believes the North American Free Trade Agreement has been good for the United States, while 47 percent say the accord has been bad for Mexico. North of the border, 57 percent of Americans report that the pact has paid dividends for Mexico, and only 39 percent say it has been beneficial for the United States. The independent survey has a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points, Louis Harris reported. With regard to immigration, 82 percent of Mexicans believe the U.S. government treats Mexicans sneaking across the border unfairly. - --- MAP posted-by: Jo-D