La Paz, June 27, 2007

Remarks from Ambassador Philip S. Goldberg on United States Assistance to Bolivia

Yesterday, U.S. Ambassador to Bolivia Philip S. Goldberg declared to the press that the United States is committed to continue working with Bolivia to face the threat of drug trafficking, but he specified that the U.S. counternarcotics cooperation for the Andean region is revised on an ongoing basis.

Press versions said today that Ambassador Goldberg announced new cuts in U.S. cooperation to Bolivia. Ambassador Goldberg made no such claim and, instead, addressed the budget adjustment announced at the beginning of the year and currently under the U.S. Congress’ consideration, which applies not only to Bolivia but to the overall Andean region.

“I want to affirm that we have the intention of continuing to work to address this problem. We do not want to create more problems in our relations; we want to work with Bolivia,” said Ambassador Goldberg in the Bolivian Foreign Ministry yesterday.

Following are portions of the actual remarks from Ambassador Goldberg:

“We are working with police units and military forces to achieve an effective outcome. We have made, as I said, an adjustment to our assistance, but not only regarding Bolivia. This is not aimed at Bolivia but it has to do with our regional counternarcotics policy. I believe we will continue to work with Bolivia to face this problem, which represents a scourge not only for the United States, but also, and especially, for the neighboring countries and for Europe. This is our goal.”

“We have seen a cut in recent years. Actually it was an adjustment. We are assessing our counternarcotics support to Bolivia and to other countries on an ongoing basis. But one has also to wonder if there is less (coca crop) eradication, less rationalization. Last year 5,000 hectares (of coca crops) were eradicated. This represents the lowest eradication level in a decade. Therefore, the assistance has to be commensurate to the efforts.”