Mexican Leader Struggles With Economy

Mexican President Ernesto Zedillo said in an interview published Tuesday that he never imagined the severity of the problems he has had to grapple with during his first three months in office.

He also acknowledged that he didn’t understand the weaknesses of Mexico’s economy or how much political reforms were needed.

“I thought it was going to be rough,” Zedillo said in an interview published in the New York Times. “But I must be honest - I never expected anything as complex as what we have lived through over these last three months.”

Zedillo was interviewed Monday at his office in Mexico City, the day after he called on Mexicans to support the government’s new austerity plan to help cure the country’s ailing economy.

“I know that this is going to be painful,” Zedillo said. “I know that nobody is going to like it. But this is what the country needs.”