    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1997, Book II)]
    [November 9, 1997]
    [Pages 1529-1530]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    [[Page 1529]]

    Letter to Congressional Leaders on Major Narcotics Producing and Transit
    Countries
    November 9, 1997

    Dear Mr. Chairman:  (Dear Ranking Member:)
        In accordance with the provisions of section 490(h) of the Foreign
    Assistance Act of 1961 (FAA), as amended, I have determined that the
    following countries are major illicit drug-producing or drug-transit
    countries: Afghanistan, Aruba, The Bahamas, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil,
    Burma, Cambodia, China, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Ecuador,
    Guatemala, Haiti, Hong Kong, India, Iran, Jamaica, Laos, Malaysia,
    Mexico, Nigeria, Pakistan, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Taiwan, Thailand,
    Venezuela, and Vietnam. These countries have been selected on the basis
    of information from the March 1, 1997, International Narcotics Control
    Strategy Report and from other U.S. Government sources.
        This year, I have removed Lebanon and Syria from the list. Both
    countries were placed on the majors list ten years ago on the basis of
    important, illicit opium cultivation in Lebanon's Beka'a Valley, a
    region under the control of Syrian occupation forces. Evidence that
    Syrian troops at the time were protecting and facilitating drug
    cultivation, production, and transportation led to the inclusion of
    Syria on the list beginning in 1992, however, Lebanon and Syria jointly
    began a campaign to eradicate the more than 3,400 hectares of Beka'a
    Valley opium poppy cultivation.
        This effort has been effective, since U.S. Government surveys have
    detected no current opium poppy cultivation. Though both countries are
    transit areas for South American cocaine, and small laboratories in
    Lebanon reportedly refine Southwest Asian opium into heroin destined for
    Europe and the West, there is no evidence that any of these drugs reach
    the United States in quantities that significantly affect the United
    States. I have removed both countries from the majors list this year and
    have placed them on the watch list, with the understanding that they
    will be once again listed as major illicit drug producers or transit
    countries, should the evidence warrant.
    Netherlands Antilles. Analysis of the trafficking patterns in the region
    indicates that there is continuing drug activity taking place around the
    Netherlands Antilles, especially in the vicinity of St. Maarten.
    Although at present there is only anecdotal information, it is possible
    that significant quantities of U.S.-bound drugs are involved. If I
    determine that drugs entering the United States from the Netherlands
    Antilles do so in sufficient quantities as to affect the United States
    significantly, I will add the Netherlands Antilles to the list of major
    illicit drug-transit countries.
    Turkey and other Balkan Route Countries. Although I remain concerned
    over the large volume of Southwest Asian heroin moving through Turkey
    and neighboring countries to Western Europe along the Balkan Route,
    there is no clear evidence that this heroin significantly affects the
    United States--as required for a country to be designated a major
    transit country. In the event that I determine that heroin transiting
    Turkey, Bulgaria, Greece, the former Republic of Yugoslavia, Bosnia,
    Croatia, the Former Yugoslavian Republic of Macedonia, or other European
    countries on the Balkan Route significantly affects the United States, I
    will add the relevant countries to the majors list.
    Cuba. Cuba's geographical position astride one of the principal
    Caribbean trafficking routes to the United States makes it a logical
    candidate for consideration for the majors list. While there continue to
    be some credible reports that trafficking syndicates use Cuban territory
    (including waters and airspace) for moving drugs, it has yet to be
    confirmed that this traffic carries significant quantities of cocaine or
    heroin to the United States.
    Central Asia. There have been recent probes of potential cultivation
    sites in Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, traditional opium poppy growing
    areas of the former Soviet Union. These probes did not show significant
    opium poppy cultivation. If ongoing analysis reveals cultivation of
    1,000 hectares or more of poppy, I will add the relevant countries to
    the majors list.
    Major Cannabis Producers. While Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Morocco, the
    Philippines, and South Africa are important cannabis producers, they do
    not appear on this list since I have determined, pursuant to FAA section
    481(e)(2), that

    [[Page 1530]]

    in all cases the illicit cannabis is either consumed locally or exported
    to countries other than the United States, and thus such illicit
    cannabis production does not significantly affect the United States.
            Sincerely,

                                                          William J. Clinton

    Note: Identical letters were sent to Jesse Helms, chairman, and Joseph
    R. Biden, Jr., ranking member, Senate Committee on Foreign Relations;
    Ted Stevens, chairman, and Robert C. Byrd, ranking member, Senate
    Committee on Appropriations; Benjamin A. Gilman, chairman, and Lee H.
    Hamilton, ranking member, House Committee on International Relations;
    and Robert L. Livingston, chairman, and David R. Obey, ranking member,
    House Committee on Appropriations. This letter was released by the
    Office of the Press Secretary on November 10.