House Wags Finger At Mexico Bill Demands Changes To Remain Certified Ally In War On Drugs

House lawmakers, eager to hand Mexico a stern rebuke without upsetting its economy, voted 251-175 Thursday to give Mexico 90 days to fully cooperate in the anti-drug war or lose its certification.

President Clinton is counting on the Senate to protect his outright acceptance of Mexico as a full partner in the war.

The House bill calls for stripping Mexico of its certification as an ally in the anti-narcotics fight unless the Mexican government:

Provides Clinton with assurances that it will move to extradite its citizens charged in drug cases.

Curbs police corruption.

Allows U.S. law enforcement agents to carry their weapons across the border for self-defense.

“This is an effort on our part to help the people of Mexico, to help the people of Colombia and to help the American people,” said House Speaker Newt Gingrich, R-Ga.

On Feb. 28, Clinton decertified Colombia but certified Mexico as “fully cooperative” in fighting drugs.

The bill retains Clinton’s right to waive sanctions against Mexico if he determines that it’s in the national interest.

The bill signaled a retreat for some House Republicans who had supported legislation to overturn Clinton’s decision to certify Mexico out-right. They went along with the 90-day grace period after somber warnings from U.S. Treasury officials and diplomats as well as Republican governors from states bordering Mexico.

Rep. Tom Lantos, D-Calif., called the bill an insult to Mexico and Clinton.

“Passing this ill-conceived legislation will make the Mexican government less likely to cooperate with us, and it will make the Mexican people justifiably outraged,” Lantos said.

The Mexican Foreign Ministry, in a vain effort to forestall Thursday’s vote, declared that it would not accept any U.S. conditions on its behavior.

“In no case and for no reason will our country accept any condition imposed on it from abroad. The fight against drug trafficking needs cooperation, not conditionality,” the ministry said in a statement Wednesday.

Critics of the House action placed hopes in the Senate, which Clinton has steadily wooed in recent days, to defend his decision to certify Mexico despite evidence of vast drug-related corruption that recently ensnared its anti-drug czar.

But California Sen. Dianne Feinstein, one of the most vigorous critics of Mexico’s failure to curb entry into the United States of some 70 percent of illegal narcotics, held firm. The rationale for certifying Mexico is “a fairy tale,” she said.

Despite the fiery rhetoric, the House vote Thursday was a nod to U.S. fears that a nationalistic back-lash in Mexico could jeopardize bilateral cooperation on a host of important issues, including trade and immigration.

Perhaps more immediately, lawmakers appeared receptive to warnings by Deputy Treasury Secretary Lawrence Summers that a U.S. repudiation of Mexico could rattle its markets, undercut the peso and lead to new immigration pressures.

The House bill also called for the creation of a commission to look into the value of the certification process, which has drawn fire in recent days for being overly politicized, subjecting some countries to a double standard. The commission - to be made up of lawmakers, federal and state officials - will have one year to recommend whether to change or scrap the annual process.