Mexicans cling tightly to `their’ oil

Analysts predict that Mexico’s oil reserves, second only to Canada’s in filling up U.S. gasoline tanks, could dry up within a dozen years. Meanwhile, Pemex lacks sufficient money to repair antiquated pipelines and search for more deep-sea deposits.

One solution would be outside investment. But almost all Mexicans oppose loosening their constitution to allow private or foreign interests to break the government monopoly and hold a stake in the nation’s oil.