Jim Cason and David Brooks, correspondents, Washington, Sept. 19.
The government of the United States will grant to Mexico up to 37 million dollars in helicopters and reconnaissance aircraft in 1997, and it is requesting a million dollars in additional funds to add to the antidrug campaign in the neighboring country this year, according to official documents registered before Congress this week.
The aircraft that it seeks to grant to the armed forces of Mexico include 53 UH-1H Huey helicopters, which form part of the already announced total package of 73 helicopters that they will be donated to Mexico. In addition, the US government has decided now to support the military reconnaissance efforts of Mexico by granting four reconnaissance-transportation C-26 planes and repairs and equipment for land support.
All this military equipment is in addition to 10 million dollars of equipment for night vision and command and control that the Pentagon is proposing to provide to Mexico the upcoming year, and of the already requested funds for the normal training plan offered under the International Training Program and Military Education (IMET, its initials in English).
Officials of the Clinton administration described these requests as part of the commitment previously announced to support the antidrug efforts of Mexico, but the request also is presented at a point in which the Democratic president finds himself under assault by the Republicans in connection with its efforts to carry out the "war" against drugs.
In a letter notifying Congress about these proposals for the grant of assistance, the State Department affirmed that these movements ``will be an important contribution to our efforts to stop the flow of drugs to the United States."
Several sources of Congress commented that these requests probably will be resisted by Senator Jesse Helms and some of his colleagues, but a spokesman for the senator refused to comment on this topic today. In fact, the transfer of helicopters is being converted into a controversial topic in this country, and it is hoped that a group of twelve legislators will send this Friday, a letter to the Clinton administration, expressing its concern regarding the possible use of helicopters in situations that could result in violations of human rights in Mexico.
The formal notice sent to the Congress this week indicates that 53 helicopters, that would not be sent to Mexico until next year, form part of a package of 25 million of dollars, which includes repairs and equipment of land support.
"To cut off the flow of drugs through Mexico is an essential element of the policy of drug control," says the State Department in a document that justifies the shipment of the equipment. "The Mexican military establishment now is committed to the antidrug effort but needs our assistance."
The Huey helicopters form part of the total of 73 helicopters that the Clinton administration agreed to grant to the armed forces of Mexico from its fleets of "excessively" used equipment. The Clinton administration notified Congress this year that it was sending the first group of 20 Huey helicopters to Mexico, and that the equipment is expected to be delivered next October.
The State Department suggests that these helicopters will be used by the twelve special force antidrug units of interdiction recently created by the Defense in Mexico. The document adds that United States "also wishes to strengthen the reconnaissance capacity of Mexico by granting four C-26 reconnaissance-transport aircraft appraised at 12 million dollars." These small used 19-seat planes, manufactured by Fairchild Industries, are used by some units of the United States air National Guard in the antidrug struggle.
This equipment will be provided to Mexico with the understanding of the fact that it will be used "principally, but not exclusively," for the antidrug efforts. But due to the concerns expressed by Helms and other politicians about the possible "final use" of this equipment, the State Department also declares in its justification of the movement this week that "the effective monitoring of the final use of all these aircraft in Mexico is of special attention."
The International Drugs Office of the State Department also notified Congress this month that it is duplicating the amount of funds that will be destined this year for programs of training and assistance to the Mexican struggle against drug traffic. United States already has devoted some 500 thousand dollars to this type of programs for the PGR, and now proposes to invest 750 thousand dollars more in the antidrug programs.
According to a document of the State Department, these funds will be used for "a highly specialized antidrug information unit of the PGR, which will gather and analyze information about organized crime and activities of drug-trafficking groups." Separately, the State Department proposes to grant to the Secretary of Estate 250 thousand dollars more in computer equipment, training and software for the development of a data bank for the monitoring of money laundering activities.