For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
September 18, 2006
Memorandum for the Secretary of State
Presidential Determination No. 2006-24
SUBJECT: Presidential Determination on Major Drug Transit or Major Illicit Drug Producing Countries for Fiscal Year 2007
Pursuant to section 706(1) of the Foreign Relations Authorization Act,
FY03 (Public Law 107-228) (FRAA), I hereby identify the following
countries as major drug transit or major illicit drug producing
countries: Afghanistan, The Bahamas, Bolivia, Brazil, Burma, Colombia,
Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Guatemala, Haiti, India, Jamaica, Laos,
Mexico, Nigeria, Pakistan, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, and Venezuela.
A country's presence on the Majors List is not necessarily an adverse
reflection of its government's counternarcotics efforts or level of
cooperation with the United States. Consistent with the statutory
definition of a major drug transit or drug producing country set forth
in section 481(e)(2) and (5) of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, as
amended (FAA), one of the reasons that major drug transit or illicit
drug producing countries are placed on the list is the combination of
geographical, commercial, and economic factors that allow drugs to
transit or be produced despite the concerned government's most assiduous enforcement measures.
Pursuant to section 706(2)(A) of the FRAA, I hereby designate Burma and
Venezuela as countries that have failed demonstrably during the previous
12 months to adhere to their obligations under international
counternarcotics agreements and take the measures set forth in section
489(a)(1) of the FAA. Attached to this report (Tab A) are
justifications for the determinations on Burma and Venezuela, as
required by section 706(2)(B).
I have also determined, in accordance with provisions of section
706(3)(A) of the FRAA, that support for programs to aid Venezuela's
democratic institutions is vital to the national interests of the United
States.
Although President Karzai has strongly attacked narcotrafficking as the
greatest threat to Afghanistan, one third of the Afghan economy remains
opium-based, which contributes to widespread public corruption. The
government at all levels must be held accountable to deter and eradicate
poppy cultivation; remove and prosecute corrupt officials; and
investigate, prosecute, or extradite narcotraffickers and those
financing their activities. We are concerned that failure to act
decisively now could undermine security, compromise democratic
legitimacy, and imperil international support for vital assistance.
My Administration is concerned with the decline in Bolivian
counternarcotics cooperation since October 2005. Bolivia, the world's
third largest producer of cocaine, has undertaken policies that have
allowed the expansion of coca cultivation and slowed the pace of
eradication until mid-year, when it picked up. The Government of
Bolivia's (GOB) policy of "zero cocaine, but not zero coca" has focused
primarily on interdiction, to the near exclusion of its necessary
complements, eradication and alternative development. However, the GOB
has been supportive of interdiction initiatives and has had positive
results in seizing cocaine and decommissioning rustic labs. We would
encourage the GOB to refocus its efforts on eliminating excess coca, the
source of cocaine. This would include eradicating at least 5,000
hectares, including in the Chapare region; eliminating the "cato"
exemption to Bolivian law; rescinding Ministerial Resolution 112,
Administrative Resolution 083, and establishing tight controls on the
sale of licit coca leaf for traditional use; and implementing strong
precursor chemical control measures to prevent conversion of coca to
cocaine. My Administration plans to review Bolivia's performance in
these specific areas within 6 months.
The Government of Canada (GOC) continued to effectively curb the
diversion of precursor chemicals that are required for methamphetamine
production to feed U.S. illegal markets. The GOC also continued to
seize laboratories that produce MDMA/Ecstasy consumed in both Canada and the United States. The principal drug concern was the continuing
large-scale production of high-potency, indoor-grown marijuana for export to the United States. The United States enjoyed excellent cooperation with
Canada across a broad range of law enforcement issues and shared goals.
The Government of Ecuador (GOE) has made considerable progress in
combating narcotics trafficking destined for the United States.
However, a dramatic increase in the quantity of cocaine transported
toward the United States using Ecuadorian-flagged ships and indications
of increased illegal armed group activity along Ecuador's northern
border with Colombia remain areas of serious concern. Effective
cooperation and streamlined maritime operational procedures between the
U.S. Coast Guard and the Ecuadorian Navy are resulting in an increase in
the amount of cocaine interdicted. Building on that cooperation, we
will work with Ecuador to change the circumstances that make
Ecuadorian-flagged vessels and Ecuadorian citizenship so attractive to
drug traffickers.
As a result of the elections in Haiti, the new government now has a
clear mandate from the Haitian people to bring crime, violent gangs, and
drug trafficking under control. We urge the new government to
strengthen and accelerate ongoing efforts to rebuild and reform Haiti's
law enforcement and judicial institutions and to consult closely with
the United States to define achievable and verifiable steps to
accomplish these goals.
While the Government of Nigeria continues to take substantive steps to
curb official corruption, it remains a major challenge in Nigeria. We
strongly encourage the government to continue to adequately fund and
support the anti-corruption bodies that have been established there in
order to fully address Nigeria's ongoing fight against corruption. We
urge Nigeria to continue improving the effectiveness of the National
Drug and Law Enforcement Agency and, in particular, improve enforcement
operations at major airports/seaports and against major drug kingpins,
to include targeting their financial assets. We look forward to working
with Nigerian officials to increase extraditions and assisting in drug
enforcement operations.
Although there have not been any drug seizures or apprehensions of drug
traffickers with a connection to the Democratic People's Republic of
Korea (DPRK) since 2004, we remain concerned about DPRK state-directed
criminal activity. The United States Government has made clear to the DPRK that an end to all involvement in criminal activity is a necessary prerequisite to entry into the international community.
Under provisions of the Combat Methamphetamine Epidemic Act (CMEA),
which modified section 489(a) of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, as
amended, and section 490(a) of the FAA, a report will be made to the
Congress on March 1, 2007, naming the five countries that legally
exported the largest amount of methamphetamine precursor chemicals, as
well as the top five methamphetamine precursor importers with the
highest rate of diversion for illicit drug production. This report will
be sent concurrently with the International Narcotics Control Strategy
Report, which will also contain additional reporting on methamphetamine
precursor chemicals pursuant to the CMEA.
You are hereby authorized and directed to submit this report under
section 706 of the FRAA, transmit it to the Congress, and publish it in
the Federal Register.
GEORGE W. BUSH
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