Meese Ends Mexico Talks, Won’t Tell Drug Fight Aims

In the face of increasing drug traffic from Mexico to the United States, officials of the two countries have set specific objectives to fight narcotics smuggling, U.S. Atty. Gen. Edwin Meese III said here Tuesday.

Meese refused to specify what would be accomplished under the program and when. Instead, he praised Mexican anti-drug efforts generally and said the two nations have undertaken campaigns of cooperation in a number of law enforcement fields.

“I would say that, in virtually every aspect of our mutual relationship in combating drugs, we have set forth some specific objectives,” Meese said at a news conference.

“We can’t go into detail about what we’re going to do because some of them pertain to some specific actions against some major drug traffickers on both sides of the border.”

Two-Day Conference

The U.S. official spoke at the end of a two-day conference with a delegation of Mexican law officials led by Mexican Atty. Gen. Sergio Garcia Ramirez. Over the last 13 months, Meese has met with Garcia four times to encourage cooperation with the United States in halting the drug traffic, including the eradication of crops.

During the last year, production of both heroin and marijuana in Mexico has increased, according to a recent State Department report. Cocaine shipments from elsewhere in Latin America, using Mexico as a way-station to the United States, also are rising.

The State Department report called Mexico the “principal disappointment” in last year’s worldwide campaign against drug traffic.

Still, despite those accusations and complaints from U.S. officials about corruption and incompetence among law enforcement officials in Mexico, Meese said that he is “terribly impressed” with Mexico’s anti-narcotics efforts and termed his series of meetings with Garcia successful.

Things Could Be Worse

“We are convinced that progress has been made in the course of the past 13 months,” Meese said. “And we know that the situation in the United States would be much worse right now if we had not taken these mutual efforts.”

Meese said the meetings at this Caribbean beach resort have solidified cooperation between the two countries on Mexican crop-eradication campaigns and on vigilance against smuggling. Officials talked also about controlling drug abuse, Meese said.

A joint statement released at the news conference listed these other agreements, most not related to drug traffic, reached in Cancun:

--The FBI will help Mexico with “security measures” at the World Cup soccer tournament that begins next month.

--The U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms will work with Mexican authorities to trace smuggled weapons.

--Both countries will try to step up collaboration along the border as well as exchange crime information.

Persuasion Effort

The agreements seemed to reflect U.S. efforts to convince Mexico that police cooperation across the border can benefit both countries.

Mexican officials have contended that drug trafficking is mainly a U.S. problem, one caused by the high incidence of drug abuse in the United States. Washington argues that drug use will inevitably spill over into Mexico if trafficking continues unabated.

Garcia, the Mexican attorney general, called the Cancun meeting productive. He turned aside questions of specific goals, saying that his country will be satisfied only when drug traffic ceases.

Also attending the meetings here were representatives from the FBI, the U.S. Customs Bureau and the Drug Enforcement Administration, and their Mexican counterparts.