ACCESSION NUMBER:00000
FILE ID:97030411.TXT
DATE:03/04/97
TITLE:04-03-97  CONGRESSIONAL REPORT, TUESDAY, MARCH 4

TEXT:
(Mexico drug certification, Ambassador to Vietnam) (490)

MEASURES SEEK TO OVERTURN CLINTON'S MEXICO DRUG POLICY

Three measures were introduced in the Senate March 3 aimed at
overturning President Clinton's decision February 28 to recertify
Mexico as an ally in the fight against drug production and
trafficking.

Senator Paul Coverdell (Republican-Georgia) introduced two separate
but identical measures (S.J. Res. 19 and S.J. Res. 20) that would
decertify Mexico.

S.J. Res. 19 will be placed directly on the Senate calendar and S.J.
Res. 20 was referred to the Foreign Relations Committee.

Senator Dianne Feinstein (Democrat-California) introduced a measure
(S.J.Res. 21) that would reverse the certification of Mexico but would
permit the President Clinton to waive, for one year, the mandate that
U.S. aid be withheld.

Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle (Democrat-South Dakota) said he
supports Feinstein's proposal as do more than 40 Senators and House
members, including House Minority Leader Dick Gephardt
(Democrat-Missouri).

Senate Republican leader Trent Lott (Republican-Mississippi) said
several top Clinton administration officials will visit the Capitol
this week to outline their reasons for recertifying Mexico.

In a related development, House Speaker Newt Gingrich
(Republican-Georgia) and House Majority Leader Dick Armey
(Republican-Texas) called for an investigation into how U.S.
intelligence sources failed to recognize that Mexico's top anti-drug
official was really working for a drug cartel.

Gingrich and Armey wrote to Representative Porter Goss
(Republican-Florida), the chairman of the House Intelligence
Committee, asking him to begin an investigation to "determine the
cause of so catastrophic an intelligence failure that we could have
been providing extensive classified briefings to a man like" General
Jose de Jesus Gutierrez Rebollo.

Gingrich has also criticized the administration's decision to deny
certification to Colombia. "We want to be helping those Colombians who
are anti-drug and ...going after those Mexicans who are involved in
the drug trade," Gingrich said.

SENATOR SMITH SEEKS TO BLOCK VIETNAM AMBASSADOR NOMINATION

Senator Robert Smith (Republican-New Hampshire), a critic of the
Clinton administration's Vietnam policy, said March 3 that he will "do
everything in my power as a U.S. Senator" -- including filibustering
-- to block President Clinton's nomination of Pete Peterson to become
the first U.S. ambassador to Vietnam.

Smith said he has nothing personal against Peterson but opposes the
nomination because he wants Congress to first investigate the reasons
why Clinton normalized relations with Vietnam in 1995. Smith said he
strongly suspects the president is restoring relations with Hanoi as a
payoff to campaign contributors with Asian business interests.

"I will oppose any Senate action to confirm an ambassador to Vietnam
until the impact that illegal foreign campaign contributions may have
had on U.S. policy toward Vietnam has been fully investigated," Smith
told an American Legion meeting.

Republican Senator John McCain (Republican-Arizona), who helped lead
congressional efforts to normalize relations with Hanoi, has strongly
denounced these accusations.
NNNN