    [Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 42, Number 38 (Monday, September 25, 2006)]
    [Pages 1627-1629]
    [Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

    <R04>
    Presidential Determination on Major Drug Transit or Major Illicit Drug
    Producing Countries for Fiscal Year 2007

    September 15, 2006

     Presidential Determination No. 2006-24

    Memorandum for the Secretary of State

    Subject: Presidential Determination on Major Drug Transit or Major
    Illicit Drug Producing Countries for Fiscal Year 2007

        Pursuant to section 706(1) of the Foreign Relations Authorization
    Act, FY03 (Public Law 107-228) (FRAA), I hereby identify the following
    countries as major drug transit or major illicit drug producing
    countries: Afghanistan, The Bahamas, Bolivia, Brazil, Burma, Colombia,
    Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Guatemala, Haiti, India, Jamaica, Laos,
    Mexico, Nigeria, Pakistan, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, and Venezuela.
        A country's presence on the Majors List is not necessarily an
    adverse reflection of its government's counternarcotics efforts or level
    of cooperation with the United States. Consistent with the statutory
    definition of a major drug transit or drug producing country set forth
    in section 481(e)(2) and (5) of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, as
    amended (FAA), one of the reasons that major drug

    [[Page 1628]]

    transit or illicit drug producing countries are placed on the list is
    the combination of geographical, commercial, and economic factors that
    allow drugs to transit or be produced despite the concerned government's
    most assiduous enforcement measures.
        Pursuant to section 706(2)(A) of the FRAA, I hereby designate Burma
    and Venezuela as countries that have failed demonstrably during the
    previous 12 months to adhere to their obligations under international
    counternarcotics agreements and take the measures set forth in section
    489(a)(1) of the FAA. Attached to this report (Tab A) are justifications
    for the determinations on Burma and Venezuela, as required by section
    706(2)(B).
        I have also determined, in accordance with provisions of section
    706(3)(A) of the FRAA, that support for programs to aid Venezuela's
    democratic institutions is vital to the national interests of the United
    States.
        Although President Karzai has strongly attacked narcotrafficking as
    the greatest threat to Afghanistan, one third of the Afghan economy
    remains opium-based, which contributes to widespread public corruption.
    The government at all levels must be held accountable to deter and
    eradicate poppy cultivation; remove and prosecute corrupt officials; and
    investigate, prosecute, or extradite narcotraffickers and those
    financing their activities. We are concerned that failure to act
    decisively now could undermine security, compromise democratic
    legitimacy, and imperil international support for vital assistance.
        My Administration is concerned with the decline in Bolivian
    counternarcotics cooperation since October 2005. Bolivia, the world's
    third largest producer of cocaine, has undertaken policies that have
    allowed the expansion of coca cultivation and slowed the pace of
    eradication until mid-year, when it picked up. The Government of
    Bolivia's (GOB) policy of ``zero cocaine, but not zero coca'' has
    focused primarily on interdiction, to the near exclusion of its
    necessary complements, eradication and alternative development. However,
    the GOB has been supportive of interdiction initiatives and has had
    positive results in seizing cocaine and decommissioning rustic labs. We
    would encourage the GOB to refocus its efforts on eliminating excess
    coca, the source of cocaine. This would include eradicating at least
    5,000 hectares, including in the Chapare region; eliminating the
    ``cato'' exemption to Bolivian law; rescinding Ministerial Resolution
    112, Administrative Resolution 083, and establishing tight controls on
    the sale of licit coca leaf for traditional use; and implementing strong
    precursor chemical control measures to prevent conversion of coca to
    cocaine. My Administration plans to review Bolivia's performance in
    these specific areas within 6 months.
        The Government of Canada (GOC) continued to effectively curb the
    diversion of precursor chemicals that are required for methamphetamine
    production to feed U.S. illegal markets. The GOC also continued to seize
    laboratories that produce MDMA/Ecstasy consumed in both Canada and the
    United States. The principal drug concern was the continuing large-scale
    production of high-potency, indoor-grown marijuana for export to the
    United States. The United States enjoyed excellent cooperation with
    Canada across a broad range of law enforcement issues and shared goals.
        The Government of Ecuador (GOE) has made considerable progress in
    combating narcotics trafficking destined for the United States. However,
    a dramatic increase in the quantity of cocaine transported toward the
    United States using Ecuadorian-flagged ships and indications of
    increased illegal armed group activity along Ecuador's northern border
    with Colombia remain areas of serious concern. Effective cooperation and
    streamlined maritime operational procedures between the U.S. Coast Guard
    and the Ecuadorian Navy are resulting in an increase in the amount of
    cocaine interdicted. Building on that cooperation, we will work with
    Ecuador to change the circumstances that make Ecuadorian-flagged vessels
    and Ecuadorian citizenship so attractive to drug traffickers.
        As a result of the elections in Haiti, the new government now has a
    clear mandate from the Haitian people to bring crime, violent gangs, and
    drug trafficking under control. We urge the new government to strengthen
    and accelerate ongoing efforts to rebuild and reform Haiti's law
    enforcement

    [[Page 1629]]

    and judicial institutions and to consult closely with the United States
    to define achievable and verifiable steps to accomplish these goals.
        While the Government of Nigeria continues to take substantive steps
    to curb official corruption, it remains a major challenge in Nigeria. We
    strongly encourage the government to continue to adequately fund and
    support the anti-corruption bodies that have been established there in
    order to fully address Nigeria's ongoing fight against corruption. We
    urge Nigeria to continue improving the effectiveness of the National
    Drug and Law Enforcement Agency and, in particular, improve enforcement
    operations at major airports/seaports and against major drug kingpins,
    to include targeting their financial assets. We look forward to working
    with Nigerian officials to increase extraditions and assisting in drug
    enforcement operations.
        Although there have not been any drug seizures or apprehensions of
    drug traffickers with a connection to the Democratic People's Republic
    of Korea (DPRK) since 2004, we remain concerned about DPRK state-
    directed criminal activity. The United States Government has made clear
    to the DPRK that an end to all involvement in criminal activity is a
    necessary prerequisite to entry into the international community.
        Under provisions of the Combat Methamphetamine Epidemic Act (CMEA),
    which modified section 489(a) of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, as
    amended, and section 490(a) of the FAA, a report will be made to the
    Congress on March 1, 2007, naming the five countries that legally
    exported the largest amount of methamphetamine precursor chemicals, as
    well as the top five methamphetamine precursor importers with the
    highest rate of diversion for illicit drug production. This report will
    be sent concurrently with the International Narcotics Control Strategy
    Report, which will also contain additional reporting on methamphetamine
    precursor chemicals pursuant to the CMEA.
        You are hereby authorized and directed to submit this report under
    section 706 of the FRAA, transmit it to the Congress, and publish it in
    the Federal Register.
                                                    George W. Bush

    Note: This memorandum was released by the Office of the Press Secretary
    on September 18.