LThe administration of US President Joe Biden on Monday once again certified Colombia’s performance in the fight against drugs despite the exponential growth of illicit crops that has been occurring in the country.
According to the criteria of
As every year in mid-September, the current US president has to comply with a 2003 law passed by Congress that requires him to determine which countries are fully cooperating with the US in the fight against drugs and which are not.
In this case, Biden certified that Bolivia, Burma and Venezuela were the only three countries in the world that demonstrably failed when facing its international commitments.
“Pursuant to section 706(2)(A) of the International Relations Authorization Act (2003), I am designating Bolivia, Burma, and Venezuela for demonstrably failing during the preceding 12 months to comply with their obligations under international counternarcotics agreements,” President Biden said in announcing his decision.
Biden also decided, as is customary, to use a waiver or exceptional measure to avoid the sanctions provided for by law. and continue to collaborate to some extent with these countries.
In the specific case of Colombia, and despite the favorable decision, the US president expressed alarm at the growth of coca crops and production in South America and said that “urgent measures” were needed to control the trend.
“In South America, coca cultivation and cocaine production have reached record levels, requiring urgent action by countries in the region. Colombia, a strong partner, continues to work closely with the United States to reduce cocaine production, conduct drug interdiction operations, and dismantle criminal organizations involved in cocaine trafficking,” the president said.
The president noted that thanks to U.S. assistance and the country’s work, cocaine seizures have increased: more than 841 metric tons of pure cocaine and cocaine base in 2023 or a 10 percent increase over the previous year, according to the White House.
The US president also highlighted the new metrics agreed upon with Colombia to measure progress in the fight against drugs, which were agreed upon during the High Level Dialogue between the two countries in May 2024.
According to Biden, the agreed-upon metrics “demonstrate our renewed bilateral commitment to a holistic approach to addressing cocaine production and trafficking, while providing security, justice, and lawful economic opportunities for vulnerable people in Colombia.”
The agreement between the two countries was an effort to broaden evaluation criteria beyond conventional measurements, which previously focused only on the number of hectares cultivated and the potential production of the alkaloid.
It should also be recalled that the US decided to suspend aerial monitoring of illicit crops last year and has therefore not published an update on the size of coca plantations in the country since then.
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