President George W. Bush signed a law yesterday extending trade preferences to Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru. “It’s in the interests of the United States that prosperity spreads throughout our neighborhood," said Bush at the White House signing ceremony for the Andean Trade Preference Act Extension though he also took the time to blast one of those “neighbors”:“Bolivia has failed to cooperate with the United States on important efforts to fight drug trafficking''…So, sadly, I have proposed to suspend Bolivia's trade preferences until it fulfills its obligations.''The president cited Bolivia’s inclusion on a counternarcotics blacklist that critiqued Bolivian president Evo Morales for his stance on coca. White House officials at the time claimed that they would not cut off aid to Bolivia despite its inclusion on the list.
According to the CIA Bolivia is the world's third-largest cultivator of coca behind their Andean neighbors of Colombia and Peru.
Image- current (Coca harvesting)
Sources- The Latin Americanist, CIA World Factbook, AFP, Voice of America, Bloomberg
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