U.S. Pledges Mexico Military Training Help

Defense Secretary William Perry, urging closer security and anti-drug ties, promised Tuesday to help Mexico with military training and equipment.

A day after President Ernesto Zedillo in a U.N. speech accused rich nations of not doing enough to stop the drug trade, Perry said the Pentagon will spend $1 million to train Mexican officers in the United States.

Perry, the first U.S. defense secretary to visit Mexico, met with Zedillo on Tuesday, after spending Monday talking with dozens of Mexican military commanders.

Authorities estimate up to 75 percent of the South American cocaine that reaches the United States, as well as tons of marijuana, pass through Mexico.