09 June 1998
(Seeks to lower tensions on U.S. anti-drug operation) (790) By Eric Green USIA Staff Writer WASHINGTON -- Despite recent tensions involving a U.S. counternarcotics operation in Mexico, the bilateral relationship between the United States and Mexico remains positive, says a senior State Department official. At a background briefing June 9, the official said that the two countries, rather than continuing to concentrate on the controversy, "ought to focus on putting narcotics traffickers" in jail, and that the legal systems of the United States and Mexico "should be focusing on that." The official praised Mexico for its recent successes in putting traffickers behind bars, which shows that the Mexican government is "engaged in a very serious way in the anti-narcotics effort." The official said that President Clinton's meeting June 8 in New York with Mexican President Ernesto Zedillo resulted in a "reaffirmation of basic principles of mutual respect" between the two countries. The level of U.S. cooperation with Mexico, including on law enforcement, "has improved markedly, but it needs to be improved more," the official asserted. The Clinton-Zedillo meeting took place, the official acknowledged, within the "construct" of the U.S. drug sting called Operation Casablanca and Mexican objections to the way it was handled by U.S. agents. In May, at the conclusion of a three-year probe, U.S. customs agents lured Mexican bankers to the United States and arrested 150 people, seized $50 million and indicted three Mexican banks. The State Department official rejected suggestions that the United States had attempted to deceive the public about its anti-drug operation in Mexico. "Insufficient coordination" between the United States and Mexico caused a controversy following the announcement of the sting, the official said. As more information about Casablanca came to light, the official said, "it was discovered that statements made in the first days following the operation were not accurate, but they were not lies. There was not a conscious policy on either side to distort, but there was a lack of information." "Clearly the Mexican government is concerned" about the tension caused by Casablanca, the official said. "Our government is concerned (and) we will work through this problem and we will make it better. That is indeed the theme that permeates the entire relationship." The official added that "I don't think we should minimize the importance of Operation Casablanca, which was an important law enforcement activity, nor should we minimize the reaction of elements of the Mexican government, Mexican press, and public opinion. We've got to do two things -- one, keep working on law enforcement, and secondly, do it in a manner that highlights and underscores the need for cooperation and coordination." Maintaining good bilateral relations will also be the focus of the 15th meeting of the U.S.-Mexico Binational Commission (BNC) June 10-11 at the State Department. The BNC was established in 1981 to allow for regular exchanges between the two countries at the Cabinet level. It "is an important expression of the extraordinary scope of the bilateral relationship because it deals with issues and problems that exist on both sides of the border," the official said. The BNC covers "not only the issues that grab or take the attention of the headlines, such as anti-narcotics, but also many other issues that affect the health and prosperity and safety of the daily lives of both Mexicans and Americans, including food safety, the environment, and border infrastructure," the official said. Both Presidents Clinton and Zedillo will have many of their cabinet members and heads of government agencies participating in the BNC sessions. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright will host the meeting, while Mexican Secretary of Foreign Relations Rosario Green will lead the Mexican delegation. Agreements are expected to be signed on food safety, testing of truck drivers to improve road safety, a joint response plan for environmental emergencies, and on cooperation to improve energy efficiency, the official said, and discussions will be held on "the timely issue" of cooperating to fight fires and other natural disasters. As an example of border cooperation, the official pointed to Laredo, Texas, and Nuevo Laredo, Mexico, which are developing a unified master plan for their two adjoining cities. Another example of a "positive development" between the two countries, the official said, is a program called "Ten Against TB," in which state governments along the border are attacking the widespread tuberculosis problem in that area. The official said the "scope and depth of activity" that is occurring along the border "demonstrates the nature of this very complex" bilateral relationship between the United States and Mexico.