MEXICO CITY, Dec 3 (Reuters) - The United States made available on Wednesday $197 million to pay for helicopters and other equipment needed by Mexico to fight violent drug cartels, the first part of an anti-narcotics aid package promised almost two years ago.

U.S. Ambassador Tony Garza, signing documents for the Mexican aid, said another $136 million in military and economic support will follow immediately.

"The governments of the United States and Mexico will continue fighting against the scourge of drugs and drug trafficking, but to be successful we will need support from people on both sides of the border," Garza told reporters.

The U.S. Congress approved $465 million in drug-fighting aid for Mexico and Central America in June, the first installment of a $1.4 billion package pledged by U.S. President George W. Bush during a visit to the Mexican city of Merida in March 2007.

Mexican President Felipe Calderon has urged Washington to support his army-led crackdown on powerful drug gangs whose hitmen have killed around 4,500 people this year, armed with illegally smuggled U.S. guns.

Calderon has sent some 36,000 troops across Mexico to try to restore law and order, spending around $7 billion on the three-year military crackdown.

The so-called Merida Initiative should pay for inspection equipment like scanners, helicopters and surveillance aircraft as well as drug detection dogs. It should also fund training and technical advice to support law enforcement operations in Mexico.

Congress attached conditions on some of the Merida funds, saying they can not be released until the U.S. government can report that the Mexican military has made progress in respecting human rights.

Political analysts say the United States wants to ensure the equipment does not end up in the hands of drug lords or Mexico's corrupt police forces. (Reporting by Miguel Angel Gutierrez, writing by Noel Randewich, editing by Anthony Boadle)

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