16 September 2005
Venezuela Cited for Not Cooperating in Drug Fight
Colombia, Afghanistan also on U.S. illicit drug producing list
By Judy Aita
Washington File United Nations Correspondent
New York -- The United States cited Venezuela for having "failed demonstrably to make sufficient" efforts in fighting illicit drug trafficking and drug production during the past 12 months, but said that because of "vital U.S. interests" it will continue to provide aid for certain programs in Venezuela.
On September 15, President Bush sent to Congress a list of 20 countries considered major drug-transit or major illicit drug-producing countries, singling out Venezuela and Burma for their failure to make progress in meeting their international counternarcotics obligations, according to acting Assistant Secretary of State for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs Nancy Powell.
Powell briefed reporters on the 2006 narcotics certifications at the State Department’s Foreign Press Center in New York.
The 20 countries on the so-called “majors list” are: Afghanistan, the Bahamas, Bolivia, Brazil, Burma, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Guatemala, Haiti, India, Jamaica, Laos, Mexico, Nigeria, Pakistan, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, and Venezuela. (See related article.)
U.S. CONTINUING AID TO VENEZUELA
Countries found to have "failed demonstrably" in their counternarcotics efforts are, according to U.S. law, ineligible for many types of U.S. foreign assistance, Powell told reporters.
But the assistant secretary said President Bush also determined that the "United States' vital national interests require that U.S. assistance to Venezuela be continued so that selected programs can be supported. These are programs that aid Venezuela's democratic institutions, establish selected community-development projects, and strengthen Venezuela's political party system."
Also briefing reporters on the list’s release, John Walters, director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, said that "Venezuela has been a disappointment.”
“President [Hugo] Chavez has acted as though he no longer wants a productive relationship with the United States over the past year," Walters said.
"We stand ready to continue to work with [Chavez’s] government," Walters said. "We hope that the indications we have seen in the last days that there may be a willingness to change course will prove to be so.”
"We certainly stand ready to work with Venezuela, but we need to do that effectively and we need to do that by re-establishing trust and cooperation," he said.
Powell added that the Chavez government's sudden withdrawal of the Venezuelan National Guard from a joint U.S.-Venezuela narcotics law-enforcement program, the failure to sign a bilateral data-sharing agreement under the cooperating national information-exchange system, and Venezuela's negative publicity campaign against the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency have all contributed to a demonstrable and significant decline in counternarcotics efforts compared to past years.
Venezuela is a major transit country for drug shipments to the United States and Europe, with 150 metric tons of cocaine and increasing quantities of heroin moving though its territory annually, the U.S. officials said. Despite increased drug seizures in the past four years, the Venezuelan government has not addressed the increasing use of its territory for transit purposes and has failed to eradicate coca and opium poppy fields near its border with Colombia.
COLOMBIA’S EFFORTS TO COMBAT DRUG TRADE PRAISED
The list, known as the annual narcotics certification report, shows a marked contrast in counternarcotics cooperation with the United States by Venezuela and Colombia.
Although Colombia is included on the “majors list,” the country "has made great progress across the board" in fighting drug-crop cultivation and drug trafficking, Walters said. The government of Colombian President Alvaro Uribe "has attacked criminal structures including terrorist structures that have been marketing and living off the profits of the drug trade," he said.
"By any measure, Colombia is making significant progress in the fight against trafficking and terrorism in our hemisphere," Powell agreed.
"Eradication of crops is at an all-time high in the country, democratic institutions are much stronger, and programs to provide farmers with alternatives to coca and poppy cultivation are having the intended positive impact," said Powell.
"Most important, thanks in great part to President Uribe, there has been a dramatic decrease in violent crime and terrorism in Colombia, making it a much safer place to live," she said.
BAHAMAS, DOMINICAN REPUBLIC, MEXICO COMMENDED FOR EFFORTS
The Bahamas and the Dominican Republic were also singled out for their noteworthy achievements in fighting drug trafficking.
"The police in the Bahamas have a superb record in terms of dismantling drug-trafficking organizations," Powell said. "Since 2001, the Bahamas has stopped the illegal activities of three major drug rings -- an accomplishment that has resulted in the arrest of hundreds of criminals in the Bahamas as well as in the United States."
In the Dominican Republic, she said, authorities have cooperated extensively on a wide range of law enforcement issues, such as working closely with the DEA to arrest and extradite the notorious drug trafficker Quirino Paulino and several of his associates in the past several months.
The administration of Mexican President Vicente Fox continues to face tremendous challenges, Walters added, "but I don't believe there is any administration in recent history has done more to attack not only the production [of illicit drugs], but powerful criminal organizations that operate in Mexico."
CONCERN FOR HAITI’S ABILITY TO SUSTAIN ANTI-DRUG EFFORTS
The United States is concerned about Haiti's ability to reorganize and restructure its law enforcement agencies to sustain counternarcotics efforts, Powell said. The country's criminal justice system as a whole must be strengthened significantly in order to be effective and gain public confidence, she said.
While the United States recognizes that Haiti "has made concerted efforts to improve, a sustained program must be undertaken in the country before any lasting results in the area of drug control can be achieved," Powell said.
AFGHANISTAN’S KARZAI PRAISED FOR STAND AGAINST DRUGS
Praising the Afghan government’s counternarcotics efforts, Powell said the United States remains concerned about the “disturbing magnitude” of the country’s illicit drug trade and the prospect that opium poppy cultivation might increase in 2006.
"We are also concerned about government corruption, especially at the regional and local levels, impeding counter-narcotics efforts," she said. "To be effective, government corruption must be seriously addressed by both local and central government authorities."
In spite of the difficulties in Afghanistan, Powell called Afghan President Hamid Karzai's political commitment to stemming the illegal drug trade “unswerving."
Walters also praised President Karzai for being "forthright and direct" in his stand against illicit drugs and rebuilding the country's institutions to fight the problem.
"Afghanistan has committed itself to the task of combating the extensive opium production that has grown up in that country through the instability of war and the problem of establishing a stable government in that nation," Walters said.
Walters cited a recently released U.N. Drug Program report noting a 21 percent reduction in area under poppy cultivation last year as "important progress" and saying it demonstrated "the leadership and determination of President Karzai." (See related article.)
The United States is working with several European countries and the U.N. Drug Program to help Afghanistan with counter-drug programs, Powell added.
COMBATING DRUG TRADE REQUIRES GLOBAL EFFORT
"Combating the drug trade around the world requires a global effort," said Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs R. Nicholas Burns, also briefing reporters on the 2006 narcotics certifications.
" The United States is committed to taking action in close cooperation with friendly governments against drug trafficking and against the criminal activities that are linked to it," he said.
A transcript of the press briefing is available on the State Department’s Foreign Press Center Web site.
For information on U.S. efforts to counter trade in illicit drugs, see Narcotics.
(The Washington File is a product of the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
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