Obama: Afghanistan A Major Drug Producing Hub
KABUL: (Middle East Press) U.S. President Barack Obama titled Afghanistan, as major illicit drug transit countries on Monday.
Obama determined a list of 22 countries including Bahamas, Belize, Bolivia, Burma, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, India, Jamaica, Laos, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Peru and Venezuela.
The Washington Examiner which is a political journalism publication based in Washington quotes Obama as saying that “[I]llegal poppy cultivation in Afghanistan is among the most difficult international drug-control problems.”
According to the media outlet, Obama further said that Afghanistan has been the world’s largest poppy producer for 15 of the last 16 years.
In accordance with provisions of the Foreign Relations Authorization Act (FRAA), the president also determined that support for programmes to aid the promotion of democracy in Burma and Venezuela remained vital to the national interest of the US. He granted Burma and Venezuela National Interest Waivers, the media outlet said.
“The international community is also taking steps to focus attention on illegal drug activity in China, especially precursor chemicals produced in China that are diverted from legitimate commerce to criminal elements for the production of illicit plant-based and synthetic drugs,” Obama is quoted by the Washington Examiner as saying.
