Wright’s Pro-Mexico Efforts Cited : Arranged Talks to Forestall House Action on Drugs Issue

House Speaker Jim Wright (D-Tex.), intervening on behalf of the Mexican government, has succeeded in killing congressional efforts to penalize Mexico for failing to stem the flow of drugs into the United States, congressional officials said Friday.

Wright’s action drew sharp criticism from Sen. Pete Wilson (R-Calif.), who led an effort in the Senate to impose sanctions on Mexico. State Department officials also complained that Wright improperly excluded the Administration from his negotiations with Mexico.

It was not the first time that Wright has been criticized by Republicans for conducting his own diplomacy with a Latin American country. In the past, he has been accused of undercutting President Reagan’s policy toward Nicaragua by negotiating with the Sandinista government.

Arranged Bilateral Meeting

By all accounts, the Speaker was responsible for arranging a meeting last week between Mexican government officials and members of the House who had been threatening to seek sanctions against Mexico for failing to do enough to combat drug trafficking into the United States. As a result of the meeting, House members agreed not to press for sanctions.

Wilson Morris, a Wright aide, said the Speaker intervened because he opposes punishing Mexico and also because of a “longstanding interest and relationship with Mexico.”

Rep. Larry Smith (D-Fla.), the leading House critic of the Mexican anti-drug effort, attended the meeting arranged by Wright. He said he was persuaded to drop the legislation when Mexican Ambassador Jorge Espinosa de los Reyes promised to write a letter to the Speaker outlining his country’s efforts to fight the Mexican drug trade.

In his four-page letter, dated last Wednesday, Espinosa told Wright that his government “expects to obtain significantly better results during 1988” as a result of anti-drug initiatives already undertaken. But the letter promised no new initiatives.

Wilson, who had been demanding increased Mexican cooperation with U.S. efforts to stop the flow of drugs across the southern border of the United States, criticized the Democratic Speaker for settling for too little from Mexico.

“He would have been better advised to read the State Department’s report on Mexico’s lack of cooperation than a self-serving letter from Mexican officials,” Wilson told The Times. “The unwillingness of the House to demand more cooperation means the lives of our law enforcement officers in Texas and along the border are further endangered.”

Wilson, angered by Mexico’s allegedly lax effort in curbing the drug trade, recently led a Senate effort to “decertify” the nation as eligible for U.S. foreign assistance. Wilson’s legislation passed the Senate 63-29 on April 14.

Although the impact of the legislation was largely symbolic since Mexico receives no U.S. foreign aid, the Mexican government had been lobbying vigorously to discourage members of Congress from passing it.

Wright stepped into the dispute just a week before the House Foreign Affairs Committee was expected to vote in favor of the Senate-passed decertification measure. “The Speaker didn’t feel that decertification was the right way to go,” said his spokesman.

Smith said Wright convened a meeting last week that included several House members, Espinosa, the Mexican attorney general and several other Mexican officials. As a result of the meeting and Espinosa’s subsequent letter, the House committee did not consider sanctions against Mexico when it met Wednesday for that purpose.

No New Initiatives

Although acknowledging that the Mexicans have not promised to take any new initiative against drug trafficking, Smith argued that the ambassador’s letter represents a significant development. Smith noted that the State Department has never obtained a written pledge from Mexico to cooperate.

Although the Reagan Administration opposed sanctions against Mexico, State Department officials are known to be angry that they were not involved in the meeting between House members and Mexican officials convened by Wright.