AP News, March 1st, 2007
President Bush on Thursday spared from possible U.S. sanctions the top 12 nations that import and export ingredients to make methamphetamine.
In a notice to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Bush certified the 12 had met congressional requirements aimed at reducing the prevalence of the drug in the United States. The nations are Belgium, Britain, China, Germany, India, Indonesia, Mexico, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, Switzerland and Taiwan.
"(They) have cooperated fully with the United States or have taken adequate steps on their own to achieve full compliance with the goals and objectives established by the U.N. Convention Against Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances," Bush said in a statement.
Under the terms of the "Combat Methamphetamine Epidemic Act," the top importing and exporting countries of pseudoephedrine and ephedrine _ precursors to methamphetamine _ can face U.S. penalties for failing to meet the requirements.
Those sanctions can include a cutoff of U.S. non-humanitarian and non-counter-narcotics assistance as well as a "no" vote by the U.S. on projects for offending countries by international financial institutions such as the International Monetary Fund and World Bank.
However, many of the countries certified Thursday _ including NATO members Belgium, Britain and Germany as well as economic powerhouses China, Singapore and South Korea _ receive at most negligible aid from the United States.
This is the first year the certification requirement for methamphetamine precursors has been in effect and the statement was released as the State Department issued its annual global survey of countries' performance in the fight against illicit narcotics production and trafficking.
___
On the Net:
State Department: http://www.state.gov
