[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

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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.