Bush administration wants Bolivia out of ATPA

Bush administration wants Bolivia out of ATPA The Bush administration has requested that Bolivia be removed as a beneficiary country under the Andean Trade Preference Act and the Andean Trade Promotion and Drug Eradication Act (ATPDEA)
   The ATPA and ATPDEA are programs that provide duty-free treatment for imports of most products from Colombia, Peru, Ecuador and Bolivia. These programs are designed to promote economic development and reduce illegal crop production in the Andean region.
   However, the Bush administration said the recent expulsion of U.S. Agency for International Development personnel and the removal of U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration officials from the main areas of Bolivia’s illegal coca production, an increase in cocaine production, the government’s failure to close illegal coca markets, and publicly stated policies that increase government-sanctioned coca cultivation, have “placed in doubt the Bolivian government’s commitment to cooperate in the fight against drug trafficking.”
   “We regret that the proposed suspension that is prompted by the Bolivian government’s actions could affect hard-working Bolivians,” said U.S. Trade Representative Susan Schwab, in a statement. “Once imposed, the suspension could be lifted as soon as the Bolivian government improves its performance under the ATPA and ATPDEA criteria.”