JUDGEMENT DAY FOR DRUG COUNTRIES

WASHINGTON--Brazil recently approved legislation to facilitate the forcing
down of suspected drug flights. Jamaica passed a law aimed at reducing the
supply and demand for drugs and enhancing its ability to interdict drug
flows.

It may be a coincidence but U.S. officials believe these actions are at
least partly related to an annual process by which the United States grades
foreign countries on their counternarcotics performance.

And judgment day for these countries has arrived. Formal announcements on
the 30 foreign countries involved in international drug trafficking were
expected today. Most were expected to be "certified" as fully cooperating
with U.S. narcotics efforts. Those that are not could face economic
penalties.

The certification process, first required by Congress in 1986, enrages many
countries, where it is seen as counterproductive. These nations say the
root cause of the drug problem is insatiable U.S. demand, not lax
enforcement by source countries.

But Clinton administration officials say the threat of public humiliation
the certification process entails has energized anti-narcotics activities
in a number of countries. They cite the actions taken in Brazil and Jamaica
as examples.

However, a Jamaican Embassy official denied any such linkage, and Brazilian
Embassy officials did not return a call seeking comment. As in previous
years, much of the attention is on Colombia, the world's leading producer
and distributor of cocaine and a major supplier of heroin and marijuana.

Two years ago, the Clinton administration "decertified" Colombia as a drug
war ally, making it ineligible for all U.S. assistance except for
humanitarian and counternarcotics aid. An administration official said
Wednesday a more lenient policy towards Colombia was expected, but he
refused to be more specific.

Colombian Ambassador Juan Carlos Esguerra said in a recent interview the
decision demonstrated a lack of recognition of Colombia's anti-narcotics
efforts.

Esguerra, a former defense minister, hoped the designation would be
overturned this year, asserting that no country in history eradicated more
drug-producing crops than Colombia did in 1997. Colombian figures show
about 126,000 acres sprayed, more than 50 tons of cocaine seized and 392
drug laboratories destroyed. Esguerra described how Colombian pilots
flying planes on coca eradication missions often face automatic weapons
fire from leftist guerrillas who are aligned with drug chieftains.

The ambassador spoke while seated in his office in front of a picture of
Colombian President Ernesto Samper. Samper is a major reason the Clinton
administration has been unable to give Colombia a clean bill of health. He
is seen here as beholden to narcotraffickers based on an alleged $6
million contribution received during the 1994 presidential campaign.

U.S. officials acknowledge that Colombia's eradication campaign has been
impressive but they say increased plantings by traffickers have more than
compensated for the crops destroyed through spraying. They also describe as
a step forward the reinstatement of an extradition law by the Colombian
legislature in December.

In the debate over whether to recertify Colombia, officials said one option
was to continue decertification until Samper leaves office in August. This
would enable the administration to get off to a fresh start with his
successor -provided he gives a credible commitment beforehand to fight the
drug war with no holds barred.

Mexico has routinely been certified as fully cooperative with the United
States but some in Congress believe the designation is undeserved, citing
the continued high level of cross-border trafficking. In anticipation of
the expected recertification of Mexico, the congressional skeptics were
moving to decertify Mexico through legislation.

Colombia has been lumped together with Afghanistan, Burma, Nigeria and Iran
on the list of decertified countries ineligible for most U.S. assistance.
Three other countries -Belize and Pakistan -also have been decertified but
have been spared sanctions for national security reasons.

Other countries subject to the certification process were Aruba, the
Bahamas, Bolivia, Brazil, Cambodia, China, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador,
Guatemala, Haiti, Hong Kong, India, Jamaica, Laos, Malaysia, Panama,
Paraguay, Peru, Taiwan, Thailand, Venezuela and Vietnam.

Syria and Lebanon were decertified last year but are no longer considered
drug problem countries because of successful opium poppy eradication
programs.

Copyright Los Angeles Times