US ALARMED BY ALLIES' DRUG EXPORTS

The United States has expressed concern about illicit drugs flooding
in from Canada and the Netherlands.

President George W Bush says Washington maintains good relations with
both the allies, but expects them to do more to stem the trade.

Yet neither Canada nor the Netherlands was included on the "majors
list" of drug producing or trafficking countries in an annual White
House report.

Mr Bush criticised Burma, Guatemala and Haiti for failing to
co-operate in the global battle against the drugs trade.

Elsewhere in the report he put the same 23 countries on its "majors
list" as last year.

They included Afghanistan, Bolivia, Colombia, Laos, Nigeria, Venezuela
and Thailand, but the White House statement stressed that inclusion
did not necessarily mean criticism of their governments' efforts to
stop the drugs trade.

Mr Bush highlighted an "alarming increase" in the quantity of
synthetic drugs entering the US, especially ecstasy from the
Netherlands.

"We expect Dutch authorities to move effectively and measurably in the
coming year against the production and export of this drug, including
dismantling labs and proceeding against trafficking
organisations.

"Early in the year, we plan to discuss specific steps we can take
together to reduce drug trafficking," Mr Bush wrote in the statement
which will be submitted to Congress.

Canada Cited

He said his administration was "concerned" that Canada was a primary
source of pseudoephedrine and an increasing source of high-potency
marijuana.

"Over the past few years there has been an alarming increase in the
amount of pseudoephedrine diverted from Canadian sources to
clandestine drug laboratories in the United States, where it is used
to make methamphetamine," the statement said.

Mr Bush said Canadian authorities had not done enough to regulate the
sale and distribution of various chemicals, though he praised other
work by the law enforcement agencies.

Canada's foreign ministry spokesman Rodney Moore expressed surprise at
the criticism.

"This issue has not been raised during any of the recent meetings
between Canadian ministers and their US counterparts," he said.