BOLIVIA RENOUNCES UN ANTI-DRUG CONVENTION OVER COCA LEAF CONTROVERSY

Bolivia's government has decided to renounce the United Nations'
anti-drug convention because it classifies coca leaf as an illegal
drug, the Foreign Ministry said.

The decision comes after a proposal by President Evo Morales to
remove language obliging countries that have signed the convention to
ban the chewing of coca leaves was rejected following US objections.

Bolivian officials contend that coca leaf in its natural form is not
a narcotic and forms an age-old part of Andean culture. Morales is
still a coca growers' union leader who has campaigned for the leaf's
traditional uses.

Coca is a mild stimulant with high religious and social value in the
Andean region. But while it fights hunger and alleviates altitude
sickness, it is also the raw material of cocaine.

The Bolivian Foreign Ministry confirmed that its decision was
presented to Ban Ki-moon, the UN Secretary-General, in New York.

The Andean nation plans to rejoin the 1961 Single Convention on
Narcotic Drugs, but noting its objection to the penalisation of coca chewing.

US officials have said they are concerned that Bolivia's proposal
would weaken the integrity of the UN convention.