MEXICO CITY, Mexico (AP) -- U.S. Homeland Security Director Tom Ridge
                 said he expects the United States and Mexico to reach an agreement creating
                 a "fast lane" of preapproved travelers across the their common border,
                 easing delays caused by heightened security after September 11.

                 Wrapping up two days of meetings Tuesday in Mexico City, Ridge said the way the
                 U.S. southern border is managed is "outdated." He added that officials were making
                 progress on a border security accord with Mexico similar to one reached with
                 Canada in December.

                 "I think we are going to reach an agreement," he said.

                 Heavy traffic at border crossings has hurt businesses both in Mexico and the United
                 States, and Ridge called for a new plan that would use technology to clear goods in
                 factories, rail yards and seaports instead of waiting until they reach the border.

                 He said customs officials were also looking at the possibility of screening and
                 pre-approving cargo and people, giving them a "fast lane" across the border.

                 "Once you've got the no-risk and the low-risk set aside, then you can direct your
                 human and your technology resources to the cargo and the people that you know
                 nothing about," he said.

                 Still, Ridge said Mexico's drug and migrant smugglers created unique challenges
                 that would be difficult to overcome.

                 "We cannot guarantee a foolproof system," he said.

                 After meeting with Mexican President Vicente Fox, Interior Secretary Santiago
                 Creel and Foreign Secretary Jorge Castaneda, Ridge was scheduled to tour the
                 Bridge of the Americas border crossing in El Paso, Texas, on Wednesday.

                 U.S. President George Bush is scheduled to continue discussions on the border
                 security plan with Fox during the U.N. International Conference on Financing for
                 Development later this month in Monterrey.

                 Commerce has tripled along the U.S.-Mexican border since the start of the North
                 American Free Trade Agreement in 1994, and Ridge said both Mexico and the
                 United States aren't happy with how the border is managed today.

                 "This is not only an opportunity to s ecure our border, but we ought to view it as
                 an opportunity to facilitate and enhance the commercial integration between the two
                 countries," he said. "If we come up with the right, smart, 21st century accord, we
                 will advance both interests."

                 He said he will continue to push for consolidating agencies that manage the border,
                 like customs and immigration services, despite strong opposition in Washington.

                 Ridge said Fox's government has been responsive to U.S. needs, sharing
                 "unprecedented" amounts of information with its American counterparts.

                 At a news conference with Ridge, Creel said Mexico would continue to cooperate
                 with the United States to "unite efforts on this side of the Rio Grande." Fox also
                 pledged even greater cooperation in the future.

                  Copyright 2002 The Associated Press.