[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 21 (Tuesday, February 25, 1997)]
[Senate]
[Page S1581]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     MEXICO AND DRUG CERTIFICATION

 Mrs. BOXER. Mr. President, this week, President Clinton must 
make an important decision regarding our Nation's fight against illegal 
drug trafficking. He must decide by March 1 whether to certify that 
Mexico and Colombia have, in the past year, taken all appropriate and 
necessary actions in the fight against international narcotics 
trafficking.
  Under the international antidrug law, in order for a country which is 
either a major source of narcotics or a major drug transit country to 
continue to receive U.S. aid, the President must certify as adequate 
the performance of that country in cooperating with the United States 
or taking its own actions in the drug fight.
  The law gives the President three choices. First, he can certify that 
the country is either fully cooperating with the United States or has 
taken adequate steps on its own to combat the narcotics trade. Second, 
he can decertify the country, concluding that the country has failed to 
meet the requirements of cooperation or action. Third, he can provide a 
vital national interest waiver--essentially a finding that the country 
has not met the standards of the law, but that our own national 
interest is best protected by continuing to provide assistance to the 
country.
  With respect to Colombia, I believe the only appropriate course for 
the President to follow is to decertify Colombia, just as he did last 
year. There is too much credible evidence that Colombian President 
Samper has taken millions in campaign contributions from the Cali 
Cartel and that he has failed to take the antidrug and anticorruption 
actions that he pledged to us in 1994.
  The question of Mexico is more complicated. Mexico is the leading 
transit country for cocaine coming into the United States: 50 to 70 
percent of all cocaine shipped into the United States comes through 
Mexico. It is also a significant source of heroin, methamphetamines, 
and marijuana.
  President Zedillo seems to be strongly committed to rid the Mexican 
law enforcement system of corruption and to fight the Mexican drug 
cartels. However, the reports and events of the past few weeks have 
made it clear that corruption in police ranks--even up to the very top 
ranks--is still rampant in Mexico.
  Just last week, it was revealed that the man hired only 3 months ago 
to be Mexico's drug czar--the head of their antinarcotics agency--was 
fired abruptly after being accused of taking bribes from one of 
Mexico's most powerful drug lords. It would be as if our own drug czar, 
Gen. Barry McCaffrey, were found to be in league with drug gangs in our 
country.
  Why didn't the Mexican Government tell us weeks ago that their man 
was under investigation? Why did they let our own drug agency brief him 
and give him important intelligence about our antidrug efforts? That is 
not cooperation by any standard.
  Mexico has also failed in the past year to take its own steps to meet 
the standards of the certification law. It has not acted boldly to root 
out corruption in its law enforcement establishment; it has acted to 
extradite to the United States only a few Mexican nationals suspected 
of involvement in United States drug activities; it has failed to 
implement new anticrime laws enacted last year.
  Given these facts, I do not believe Mexico should be certified in 
compliance with the drug law. However, I believe the President would be 
justified in granting a vital national interest waiver of the 
requirements of the law. That would send a message to Mexico that its 
actions in the past year were inadequate; but it would allow the United 
States to continue joint efforts with President Zedillo and others in 
his administration who are committed to the drug fight.

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