U.S. Update on Drug Growers Excuses Some

The Bush administration Monday criticized the drug-fighting efforts of Afghanistan, Haiti and Myanmar, yet in effect penalized no country.

The three nations have “failed demonstrably to make substantial efforts” to fight drug trafficking, the White House said in an annual report. Twenty other countries with major drug industries, including Mexico and Colombia, were found to have met the U.S. standard in fighting drugs in 2001.

By federal law, countries found out of compliance are subject to a cutoff of U.S. aid.

Afghanistan was given a waiver because of the U.S. interest in strengthening the new interim government and because the ousted Taliban government was in power during most of the year. Haiti was let off the hook on the grounds that halting humanitarian aid to that impoverished country could touch off a flood of illegal immigration to Florida, threatening U.S. national security.

As in previous years, Myanmar, formerly known as Burma, was given no waiver. But that country hasn’t received U.S. aid for some time.

Annual Procedure Is Always Controversial

The drug “certification” program has been highly controversial, especially among U.S. allies upset about having their performance scrutinized annually. In an effort to allay those concerns, the report this year sought to focus on the poor performers rather than evaluating each of the 23 countries on the “majors list.”

“Instead of presuming everyone is bad and saying then who was good, we are only making a determination on who was bad, on who didn’t do enough,” said Rand Beers, assistant secretary of State for international narcotics and law enforcement affairs.

In Afghanistan, the Taliban, which came to power in 1996, enforced a ban on cultivation of the opium poppy in the fall of 2000 that caused opium production to fall 94% in Afghanistan and nearly 75% worldwide.

But the Taliban did nothing to halt trafficking in the large stockpiles that remained in the country, and in fact “assumed that the existences of large stockpiles would continue the cash flow necessary to keep that government alive,” Beers said.

Meanwhile, production surged in the parts of the country controlled by the Northern Alliance, the anti-Taliban opposition that fought with U.S. forces to oust the regime.

U.S. officials acknowledged that because of the limited resources of the fragile new government, the anti-narcotics effort in Afghanistan is not likely to be highly effective in 2002. Although the government is committed to fighting the drug trade, “it will [take] several months and significant assistance from the international community before the interim authority can take concrete measures to eradicate poppy production and counter drug trafficking in Afghanistan,” the report said.

The new poppy crop is due to be harvested at the end of March. Officials said they might be able to pay some Afghan farmers to plow their crops under. But “the challenges are enormous,” Beers said.

Anti-Drug Performance of Haiti Termed ‘Weak’

He said Haiti’s anti-drug performance was “weak.” The government failed to enact key pieces of legislation and did not increase arrests, drug seizures or prosecutions.

Nonetheless, “U.S. vital national interests require that U.S. assistance to Haiti continues,” Beers said.

Myanmar took some measures against drug trafficking, yet “large-scale poppy cultivation and opium production continue.” The country is a huge producer of methamphetamine; 800 million methamphetamine tablets were produced there in 2001, according to the report.

Myanmar’s government also failed to turn over some key trafficking suspects, including Khun Sa, who is under indictment in the United States, the report said.

Colombia Is Among 20 Nations Certified

Beers said that the efforts of the Colombian police and military have been “significant” and that their cooperation with U.S. law enforcement has been “superior.” He said the government of Mexico has made “demonstrable” efforts against drugs.

The 23 countries reviewed were Afghanistan, Myanmar, Haiti, Colombia, Mexico, Bahamas, Bolivia, Brazil, China, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Guatemala, India, Jamaica, Laos, Nigeria, Pakistan, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Thailand, Venezuela and Vietnam.