Bolivia Added To Drug Blacklist

WASHINGTON — President Bush has determined that Bolivia is no longer cooperating in the war on drugs, placing it on a counter-narcotics blacklist along with Venezuela, as U.S. ties with the leftist Latin American governments plummet.

The two nations — Bolivia for the first time and Venezuela for the fourth year in a row — were found to have "failed demonstrably" to meet commitments to combat the production and trafficking of illicit drugs, mainly cocaine. Myanmar, a major producer of methamphetamine, also made a repeat appearance on the list.

The designations can result in significant cuts in U.S. aid, but Bush spared both Bolivia and Venezuela from such penalties, citing a national interest waiver.

The Bolivia and Venezuela determinations were made as Washington's relations with populist leaders in La Paz and Caracas fall to new lows. Both countries last week expelled the U.S. ambassadors, prompting tit-for-tat reciprocal expulsions of their envoys to the United States.

The Denver Post