Bolivia to Do Its Part in Drug Fight, Leader Vows

Jaime Paz Zamora, the new president of Bolivia, says his administration will do its part in the fight against cocaine traffic as long as the cost is not an undue burden on this impoverished country.

“Bolivia is prepared to enter this fight, but not (by) paying a bill by itself that others should also pay,” Paz Zamora told reporters late Monday, a day after he took office.

After neighboring Peru, Bolivia is the world’s No. 2 producer of coca leaves, the raw material of cocaine.

Paz Zamora, a left-leaning nationalist, said Bolivia recognizes that it “must be part of the international fight against narcotics traffic.” But he made it clear that the extent of Bolivian cooperation will depend on the amount of aid it receives from the United States and other developed countries where cocaine use is a problem.

International Problem

“In Bolivia there is awareness that the problem is international,” he said, “and therefore Bolivia cannot by itself pay a bill that belongs to many.”

Bolivia will keep “a kind of balance” in the fight against narcotics, he said. “We must have our own account balance in the sense of meeting our commitment together with the international community, but constantly check our accounts to see if our commitment . . . is hurting our country or is benefiting us. . . .

“We are ready to go into any kind of fight that is demanded of us, to the extent that this fight does not mean that we Bolivians end up more impoverished . . . we are saying to the international community that the fight against narcotics traffic costs money. It must be financed.”

Paz Zamora emphasized the need for economic development in areas where peasant farmers have a hard time making a living if they do not cultivate coca.

He said his administration will try to “perfect” an anti-narcotics law passed last year by the Bolivian Congress. The law, which sets deadlines for farmers to voluntarily eradicate illegal coca crops, was drafted and pushed through the Congress at U.S. urging.

Paz Zamora has said in the past that farmers should receive more compensation than the $2,000 per hectare (2.5 acres) that is now offered for voluntary eradication.

Some U.S. officials have privately expressed concern about the commitment of Paz Zamora’s political party, the Revolutionary Left Movement, to full cooperation with U.S. anti-drug policy. During the campaign, some members of the party reportedly advised farmers not to eradicate their crops before the election because they could receive more compensation under a new administration.

The eradication program failed to meet its first quota this year, and the United States withheld $5.8 million in scheduled financial aid to Bolivia.