February 2, 2003	Sunday	Ziqa’ad 29, 1423

WASHINGTON, Feb 1: US President George Bush on Friday designated 23 countries as major producers or transit routes of illicit drugs.

Besides, China and India, two key allies in the “war against terror”, Afghanistan and Pakistan, are also on the list.

But only Myanmar, Guatemala, and Haiti are described as countries that failed to control drug-producing and trafficking. Others on the list have taken effective efforts to curb drug production and trafficking and therefore are exempted from any punitive action.

Even Guatemala and Haiti will continue to receive U.S. economic assistance because the administration believes it is in the American interest to do so.

Myanmar, however, faces U.S. sanctions as a major drug producer.

“The President (has) identified as major drug-transit or major illicit drug producing countries: Afghanistan, The Bahamas, Bolivia, Brazil, Burma (Myanmar), China, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Guatemala, Haiti, India, Jamaica, Laos, Mexico, Nigeria, Pakistan, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Thailand, Venezuela, and Vietnam,” the White House announced.

The president’s report also noted the alarming increase in the quantity of the drug ecstasy (MDMA) entering the US, of which a significant amount is manufactured clandestinely in the Netherlands.