WASHINGTON, Sept. 15 (UPI) -- President Bush has okayed the State Department to tell Congress 21 countries have failed to take sufficient counter-narcotics measures over the past year.
Placement on the list compiled by the State Department as a major illicit drug-producing or drug-transit country could affect diplomatic and economic aid relations with Washington.
The White House said listed in the report sent to Congress were: Afghanistan, The Bahamas, Bolivia, Brazil, Burma, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Guatemala, Haiti, India, Jamaica, Laos, Mexico, Nigeria, Pakistan, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, and Venezuela.
The White House said Vietnam and China had been removed from the list.
"The president also reported to Congress his determination that Burma and Venezuela have "failed demonstrably," during the previous 12 months, to adhere to their obligations under international counter-narcotics agreements and take the measures set forth in U.S. law," a statement from the White House said. "However, the president also determined to maintain U.S. programs that aid Venezuela's democratic institutions, establish selected community development projects, and strengthen Venezuela's political party system."
Opium production has long been a staple of the Afghan economy and remains a sore point in U.S. efforts to firmly establish democracy and rule of law in the country following the 2001 invasion to oust the Islamist Taliban regime and its al-Qaida allies.
