By Steven Mufson
Washington Post Staff Writer

Secretary of State Colin L. Powell and Mexican Secretary of Foreign Relations Jorge Castaneda agreed yesterday to support a peaceful settlement between the
Colombian government and rebel forces, but they differed over the U.S. insistence on keeping strict sanctions on Cuba.

Meeting two weeks before President Bush is scheduled to visit Mexican President Vicente Fox in Bush's first foreign trip as president, Powell and Castaneda also
agreed to work toward reducing the number of deaths along the U.S.-Mexico border.

"The message sent by President Bush . . . by having decided to take his first trip abroad to Mexico. . . . to visit President Fox in his hometown is a message that is
being very, very well received in Mexico and throughout Latin America," Castaneda said.

Meanwhile, members of Congress moved to remove an irritant in U.S.-Mexican relations. Sen. Christopher J. Dodd (D-Conn.) said he will introduce a measure to
suspend the annual process under which the United States is required to assess Mexico's performance in combating drug trafficking. The proposal will be
co-sponsored by Sens. Chuck Hagel (R-Neb.), John McCain (R-Ariz.), and Ernest F. Hollings (D-S.C.).

The main note of discord between Powell and his Mexican counterpart came on Cuba. Powell said the Bush administration wants to keep the sanctions on, while
Castaneda said Mexico would "strengthen ties of an economic, financial, touristical nature with Cuba."

Powell said, "We will continue to pursue our relations with Cuba in a way that lets Mr. Castro know that we disapprove of his regime. . . . We will only participate in
those activities with Cuba that benefit the people directly and not the government."

Dodd's measure on drug certification not only addresses a Mexican concern about U.S. foreign policy, but it also responds to a request Powell made during his
Senate confirmation hearings that the number of sanctions and certifications be reduced. Under the process, U.S. economic sanctions against Mexico are imposed if
it is not certified.

Congress mandated the annual drug certification procedure for Mexico in 1986, the year after corrupt Mexican officials played a role in the torture and murder of a
U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration agent. Concerns have continued about drug trafficking and corruption in Mexico, a major point for shipping illegal narcotics to
the United States.

According to the State Department, Mexican government authorities have seized a record amount of drugs over the past few years. Marijuana and heroin seizures in
2000 increased by 50 percent and 61 percent respectively, while cocaine seizures declined 34 percent from the previous year.

Powell and Castaneda also discussed the deaths of Mexicans who try to cross into the United States. Castaneda said "there are too many Mexicans dying on the
border -- Mexicans who die of exposure, dehydration, starvation; some, unfortunately, who die as a result of hostile acts on the part of some."

Powell said that with more than a million people crossing the border every day to work, study and visit, and with Mexico having grown into the second-largest
trading partner of the United States (after Canada), it is important to ease tensions on the border.

But he added, "The thing that really has to be done to solve this problem is to continue to help the Mexican economy grow, so that jobs are in the South, so that the
great magnet is no longer just in the North, but it is also within Mexico."

Powell and Castaneda agreed on support for Colombian negotiations to end fighting with rebels and curtail the illicit drug business there. Powell reaffirmed the Bush
administration's support of Plan Colombia, a Clinton administration plan to provide $1.3 billion in U.S. support for building the Colombian military and introducing
spraying and crop substitution programs to erode the narcotics trafficking there.

"With respect to the [political] insurgency," Powell said, "at the end of the day that will only be solved by a political solution, by negotiations." He added, "I don't
think there is a military solution to the insurgency problem." He said he hoped Fox would assist in bringing about a political solution.

                                                   © 2001