MEXICO CITY (AP) Mexican prosecutors said Saturday they had decided not
to press charges against The New York Times for an article two Mexican
state governors claimed falsely linked them to drug traffickers.

In a press release from its Mexico City office, The Times said the move
'represents a clear vindication' of the paper.

The Attorney General's Office, however, said in a statement that it dropped
the matter only because the article was published in the United States,
where defamation is not considered a criminal offense.

'Investigations on both complaints concluded that there was evidence of
defamation and calumny ... because the article in question exposed the
plaintiffs to discredit,' the government said.

It said neither governor 'could be considered responsible for the behaviors
imputed to them.' However, the statement noted that, 'The Attorney
General's Office does not certify anyone's good conduct.'

The complaints were filed in March by Sonora state Gov. Manlio Fabio
Beltrones and Morelos state Gov. Jorge Carrillo Olea.

In a Feb. 23 article, The Times reported that both men had frequently
assisted drug smugglers, and said the claim was based on interviews with
U.S. officials, reams of intelligence data and what the paper described as
'highly reliable' informers.

The paper said in the Saturday press release that although the Attorney
General claimed 'to have conducted an inquiry, he declined to examine any
of the witnesses and documents cited in the story and that The Times
offered to make available.'

The complaint by Carrillo Olea named two reporters, while Beltrones filed
against 'whoever was responsible' for the article.