Please find attached four articles that discuss the situation facing the new mayor of the Federal District of Mexico, the post which Cuauhtemoc Cardenas is expected to assume in December 1997. The articles mention, among other things, that Cardenas will not have direct control over the police or the judiciary of the Federal District, and that the district's budget is ultimately approved by the federal government. Please consult the attached documents for additional information.

This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the DIRB within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum.

Dallas Morning News. 13 July 1997. Alfredo Corchado and Laurence Iliff. "High Hopes in a Capital of Contrasts." (Mexico NewsPak [Austin, Tex.] 30 June-13 July 1997, Vol. 5, No. 11, pp. 4-6)

Sacramento Bee. 13 July 1997. Metro Final Edition. Andrew Reding. "The New Mexican Revolution." (NEXIS)

San Francisco Chronicle. 7 August 1997. Phil Gunson. "An Eerie Stillness Hits Mexico City After Elections." (Mexico NewsPak [Austin, Tex.] 11-24 Aug. 1997, pp. 1-2)

_____. 1997. Mark Fineman. "Mexico City Mayor Inheriting a Mess." (Mexico NewsPak [Austin, Tex.] 14-27 July 1997, Vol. 5, No. 12, pp. 2-3)